


Zoe the Vampire Slayer

by hopefulminty



Series: Zoe the Vampire Slayer [1]
Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Vampire Slayer, F/F, F/M, Family, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, M/M, Not a Crossover, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-03-24 15:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 77
Words: 93,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13814154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopefulminty/pseuds/hopefulminty
Summary: “So…” Evan finally sputtered. “Um… Vampire?”“Vampire,” Connor confirmed.“Oh,” Evan nodded.His eyes continued to blink dazedly as he watched Zoe leap over a headstone and take off again.He felt like he should say something else. Like he should be feeling something else. But, really, what else was there to say? Except…“That explains a lot,” Evan muttered.In other words, an AU in which the demons they're fighting aren't just internal anymore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is what happens when I decide it's time to start a _Buffy_ rewatch immediately after finishing a lengthy DEH series. One second, I'm watching the show and debating which writing project I want to work on next. Then, the title _Zoe the Vampire Slayer_ randomly pops into my head.
> 
> I was going to ignore it because I thought it was too strange. The idea kept floating around my brain the next day though until I had an actual plot in mind and had decided I was exactly the right amount of weird to think this is a good idea. Or, at the very least, one that I'll have fun writing.
> 
> I wouldn't call this a crossover because the characters from the TV show do not exist in this universe. I'm just borrowing the concept (and taking certain liberties with it) and some of the monsters/supernatural situations. If you're familiar with the show, there will most likely be nods to it throughout this story. If you aren't, then you can be like Evan and learn as you go.
> 
> In some ways, this will almost be a _Sincerely, E_ AU because the original characters from that will be appearing here too. Partially because I'm too lazy to come up with new ones. Mostly because I liked them and their relationships with the characters. Even if I had attempted to make new ones, people who have read that series would probably end up thinking they were reading about Nicole/Jamie/etc. with a different name.
> 
> More tags will be added later on. Rated T for swearing, non-graphic descriptions of violence, and because this fic will touch on some sensitive topics, including suicide, anxiety, and underage drinking/drug use.

Evan didn’t want to die.

He really, really didn’t want to die. Not then, not like that. He didn’t know what the lady with the… the…

Bumpy face and pointy teeth? 

That had to be a trick of the light. Of the dark, really. It was so dark in the cemetery that he could barely even see his hand as it flew around in front of his face.

His frantic attempts to drive her away were starting to seem like a waste of energy. It was like she was playing with him. The faster he moved, the slower she crept towards him.

He cursed as he stumbled backwards over a tree root. His eyes filled with tears when he landed on his side. Of course, he had landed on his bad arm. Of course, the pain was so bad that he couldn’t move. 

He closed his eyes. If this was it, then… He didn’t want to watch. He knew he should be brave. He should be stubborn and defiant. He should look her in the eye and…

He really didn’t want to look her in the eye. He didn’t want to speak, to scream, to plead for his life. Not that it mattered what he wanted. He didn’t think he could’ve made a sound if he tried.

He took a breath. It shuddered out of him. His heart was pounding so fast that it was all he could hear. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He couldn’t believe his bus had broken down like that. He couldn’t believe he’d thought it was a good idea to take a shortcut through the graveyard. 

What had he been thinking? This place was creepy enough during the day. At night, it was like something out of a horror movie.

The lady was like something out of a horror movie. Evan had known something was wrong with her the second she popped up behind him. He knew before her face had changed. He knew because this was how it was always going to end for him, wasn’t it?

Alone in a graveyard. One of those deaths that was mentioned in a blurb on the third page of the newspaper. One of those deaths that became a statistic. That no one even remembered by the time the next one happened.

Because that was the thing, wasn’t it? No one would notice when he was gone. No one would care.

No one besides his mother and she’d get over it soon enough. It would be a relief for her. She wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore. She wouldn’t have to work herself to death in order to provide for him. She could sell the house. She could sell the house and start over. Move in with Maggie or get a studio somewhere. Start over fresh.

Evan’s teeth clenched as the thoughts continued to ricochet through his brain. They flew around at lightning speed because this wasn’t the first time they’d occurred to him. Far from it, really.

He flinched as he sensed something sail through the air above him. A large something. Make that two large somethings. The sounds of fighting, of running and grunting, broke out somewhere to his left. He tentatively opened his eyes and squinted up as someone ran down the hill towards him.

“Can you walk?”

Evan frowned as he considered the question. Of course, he could walk. He’d been walking since he was one. What kind of a question was that?

Except walking required standing and he wasn’t sure he could manage that just then.

Evan put his good arm down to steady himself. He winced as he tried to push his body off the ground. 

“Shit… What did you do to your arm?”

Evan’s mouth opened and shut as he gaped at his cast. The pain was so severe now that he half-expected to see blood pouring out of it. 

It looked the same as before though. Nothing to be alarmed about. No need for another trip to the hospital. 

He hoped.

“We have to move. Give me your hand.”

Evan’s eyes narrowed as he glared up at his… Rescuer? He couldn’t see the guy’s face. What if this was a trick? What if—

“Jesus Christ,” the guy mumbled. “We don’t have time for this. There could be others. She can’t keep them away forever.”

Evan sat up a bit straighter as a flash of recognition spread through him. He knew that voice. Now that he thought about it, he knew that form, that posture. 

Was he really in a position where going with Connor Murphy was the safest option?

“Give me your fucking hand,” Connor demanded.

Evan swallowed sharply before obeying. He staggered to his feet and cringed as his body smacked into Connor’s.

“S-sorry,” Evan stammered.

Connor stared at him for a moment and shook his head. “Can you walk?”

Evan nodded mutely. He took a step forward to prove that he was capable of movement.

“Okay,” Connor sighed. “Okay. Let’s-”

Evan couldn’t help squeaking as Connor suddenly shoved him behind a tree. 

“Stay back,” Connor ordered. His voice was barely above a whisper, but his tone was so firm that Evan knew he meant business. “Don’t move until I tell you to.”

Evan wanted to ask exactly where Connor thought he was going to go, but he couldn’t form the words. His heart was beating too fast and the throbbing pain in his arm was getting worse and—

His eyes practically bulged out of his head as he watched Zoe Murphy hit the lady with the bumpy face so hard that she flew backwards into a mausoleum. Zoe then leapt through the air to deliver a roundhouse kick to the woman’s face and…

Evan rubbed his eyes and blinked. That must have been a trick of the light. There was no way he had just seen the woman explode into a pile of dust. There was no way Zoe had actually used the… The pole? The stick? The stake? 

The wooden stake. 

There was no way Zoe had just stabbed the woman in the chest with a wooden stake.

Because that would mean…

Evan leaned back against the tree while he tried to focus on his breathing. He looked up to see Connor watching him with an unreadable expression on his face.

“So…” Evan finally sputtered. “Um… Vampire?”

“Vampire,” Connor confirmed.

“Oh,” Evan nodded.

His eyes continued to blink dazedly as he watched Zoe leap over a headstone and take off again. 

He felt like he should say something else. Like he should be feeling something else. But, really, what else was there to say? Except…

“That explains a lot,” Evan muttered.

“You have no idea,” Connor smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

Zoe was already at the car when they got there. That was something Connor didn’t think he would ever get used to. It was bad enough that his sister now had super strength. Did she really need to be able to move that fast too?

Evan stopped in his tracks when he saw her. He stopped and looked over his shoulder as he tried to figure out what was happening. 

Connor rolled his eyes and continued on. 

“All clear then?” Connor asked as he leaned against the car. 

Zoe stopped picking at the smudge on her shirt long enough to squint up at him. “Huh?”

“No more vamps out tonight?”

He struggled not to flinch when she smacked his arm. He hated how much it hurt when she did that now. He hated that she could inflict that much pain without even trying.

“Shh!” Zoe hissed. She raised her eyebrows and nodded at Evan, who had gone from staring at Zoe to staring at the moon. 

“He knows,” Connor told her.

“He knows?”

“I, um-”

“You told him?” Zoe shook her head in disbelief. “You know we can’t-”

“He guessed,” Connor snapped. “He saw you stake her. What was I supposed to say?”

“Tell him he’s seeing things. That it was a… I don’t know. That it was a magic trick.”

“A magic trick? Really? Do you seriously think he’d buy that?”

Zoe shut her eyes and took a breath. “Did you tell him about me?”

“No,” Connor said quickly. “He just… He guessed she was a vampire.”

“Wow, okay,” Zoe laughed. “You mean there’s actually someone in this town who got that on the first try?”

“It was bound to happen eventually.”

“Yeah, but… This is new. I mean this,” Zoe gestured at Connor. “This is already uncharted territory. We can’t… Bennie’s going to flip. You know what he always says. Stubborn ignorance. Blindness. A total unwillingness to see or acknowledge the hell that is our town. They practically brainwash us into being that way. It’s the only way to keep everyone from losing their minds.”

“Well, unless Bennie knows a memory spell, we’re-”

“Where’s he going?” Zoe cut in.

Connor glanced over his shoulder to watch as Evan slowly, but surely, started walking towards the road.

“Didn’t you tell him to come with us?” Zoe murmured. “It’s not safe around here tonight.”

Connor scowled at her words. He hadn’t told Evan to get in the car, but it had been implied. He was sure it had been.

“Hey, Hansen,” Connor called. “What do you need? An engraved invitation?”

He struggled not to roll his eyes when he saw the look of panic cross Evan’s face. “Come on. Don’t make us save your ass twice in one night.”

“Be nice,” Zoe whispered. “He’s obviously freaking out.”

Zoe smiled weakly as she turned to address Evan. “Can we give you a ride home?”

“Um, no, I’m, uh-” Evan stammered. His eyes squeezed shut as he scratched the back of his neck.

“It’s not a problem, really,” Zoe said firmly. “I… We’d feel better knowing you got there safely.”

Connor watched as Evan considered her offer. For a moment, he thought he was going to have to manhandle Evan into the car. He slapped the roof and climbed into the driver’s seat when it became clear that wasn’t going to be necessary. 

“Where do you live?” Connor demanded as soon as everyone was buckled in.

“On Keller. It’s, um, it’s off-” Evan started.

“We have to check in with Bennie first,” Zoe reminded him.

Connor looked at her quickly before starting the engine. “You don’t think we should…” He tilted his head in the direction of the backseat.

“We have to bring him with us,” Zoe muttered. “Bennie will want to-”

“Bring him? By him you-you mean me, don’t you?” Evan blurted out. “Where are you taking me? Can you just… I just want to go home. Pull over. Please pull over.”

“It’s nothing to be scared of. It’s just… Well, Evan. Your name is Evan, right?” Zoe asked softly.

“Evan, yes, that’s-that’s my name,” he nodded numbly. “Where are we going? You’re not-”

“We’re taking you to Mr. Benson’s house,” Zoe said calmly. 

“Mr. Benson? The-the band teacher?” Evan’s forehead furrowed as he stared at her.

“Yeah,” Zoe nodded. “He’s been, um… He’s been teaching us magic tricks. He’s an amateur magician. He’s actually really good.”

Connor couldn’t help snorting at her story. He didn’t have to look at his sister to know that she was glaring at him.

“That, um, that bit you saw back there,” Zoe continued. “With the lady who appeared to explode. That was-”

“She was a vampire,” Evan interjected.

“No,” Zoe sighed. “No, she really wasn’t. It was just a-”

“I-I know what I saw,” Evan insisted.

Connor looked at Zoe quickly and shrugged. He kept his eyes on the road as she fumbled through her bag for her phone. He heard her send off a quick text before putting it back.

“Okay,” Zoe said stiffly. “Bennie’s expecting us.”

 

Mr. Benson was waiting by the door when they arrived. He ushered them into the house and led the way to the living room. Connor declined his offer of tea and slipped out onto the balcony while the others sat down.

He didn’t feel the need to be present while Bennie tried to figure Evan out. He didn’t feel the need to hear whatever vague version of the truth his sister and her Watcher came up with.

He’d heard it all before. They’d tried their hardest to keep him in the dark the previous year. He knew he’d shocked Zoe with his persistence. 

He’d shocked himself, to be honest. He’d never had any interest in his sister or her life. Not until she pulled his arm out of the socket when they were fighting one day. Not until she slammed her door so hard that it split in half.

Then, he had to know what she was on because obviously she’d found something fucking amazing. Something that made her strong. Something that made her fast. Something that made her a freaking superhero.

That thought first occurred to him when he saw her climb out her window and disappear into the night. He thought he was seeing things at first. There was no way his goody-goody sister was sneaking out like that. There was no way she could get down from the roof that easily. Or that gracefully. It was like she was a… He hadn’t known what she was like. He’d been too buzzed to focus at the time.

She’d told him as much when he confronted her about it the next day. She’d rolled her eyes and told him he was delusional. That he must’ve been stoned out of his mind. 

That had been a fair point. He hadn’t admitted it to her, of course, but he knew it had been.

So, he did the only thing he could. He stopped getting high at night. He lurked in the shadows behind the garage and waited until she went by. He followed her because...

Because he was genuinely curious what she was up to. That thought caught him by surprise. He didn’t know why he was so interested in figuring out what she was doing. It was just, well, the more he watched, the weirder things got. Why was Zoe sneaking out at night? Why was she suddenly wearing a cross necklace all the time? Was she in some kind of cult? Why did she insist on doing her own laundry now? Why was she so hungry all the time? How had her reflexes improved that much? How was he the only one noticing these things? Their parents obviously didn’t have a clue something was up with her.

He couldn’t keep up with her at night. No matter how fast he moved, she was faster. She always disappeared before he could get any answers.

Things were strange at school too. He noticed the fact that she kept ditching her friends. That she was taking private lessons with the new music teacher. That she spent a lot of time in the band room. 

He’d mentioned that to their parents during breakfast one day. He’d smirked when Zoe choked on her cereal. Their parents had been more than a little concerned to hear that their sixteen-year-old daughter was spending so much time with her band teacher. Her young, handsome, British band teacher.

His comments had led to a whole series of meetings and inquiries. It had turned into a real mess. A mess that made Connor think maybe that was all this was. Maybe Zoe was just having an affair with her teacher. Mr. Benson had ultimately been cleared of all accusations though and Zoe was given permission to continue with her private lessons.

For a while, things had gone back to normal. Connor went back to ignoring his sister and Zoe… He didn’t know what she did. He didn’t care either.

 

He’d discovered her secret by accident. He was walking to his car after scoring some weed when he’d been jumped by a guy wearing a mask. 

Except it turned out the guy wasn’t wearing a mask.

It also turned out that Zoe had been following the guy. Connor didn’t think he blinked once during the fight that ensued. 

Zoe tried to convince him he was wrong. She tried the stoned excuse again. She kept telling him that he was so high he didn’t know what was real. 

He wasn’t high though. He knew that for a fact. He also knew that he had definitely seen his sister jam a stake into the guy’s chest. 

She finally dropped the subject when it became clear he wasn’t letting it go. She’d dragged him to her car and taken him to see Mr. Benson. That hadn’t been one of his proudest moments. The fact that his little sister could push him around that easily still freaked him out.

Mr. Benson (or Bennie, as Zoe seemed to prefer) sat Connor down and explained what he’d seen. Connor could tell it hadn’t been an easy decision for the teacher to make. He knew they would’ve preferred to leave him in the dark if they’d had their way.

Bennie explained that Zoe was a Vampire Slayer, the latest in a line going back to prehistoric times. One girl in every generation was chosen by some kind of mystical force to battle the forces of evil.

Mr. Benson was her Watcher, a person whose job it was to train and aide the Slayer. 

Connor had laughed hysterically when he heard that. Partially because it was totally absurd. Mostly because it made sense. Way too much sense. It explained the changes he’d observed in Zoe. It explained her behavior, her strength, her speed. (She would later admit that she first suspected something was wrong with her when she dislocated his shoulder.)

It also explained a lot about their town. Because, as it turned out, their town was located on a Hellmouth. A literal mouth to hell. 

Because, yeah, that was a thing. 

It really explained so much. The high mortality rate. The number of cemeteries. The strange deaths. The even stranger occurrences. 

Connor wasn’t sure if it explained the hopelessness he felt. Or the anger and isolation. He didn’t know if knowing the truth made him feel any better.

It gave him a sense of purpose though. It didn’t take him long to decide that he wanted in. He wanted to help Zoe. He wanted to fight demons. Because, of course, he did. How could he not? 

He made his intentions clear right away. He blackmailed her and threatened to tell their parents when she didn’t respond. 

He knew she didn’t like letting him tag along. He knew Bennie thought he was a liability. He’d proven himself useful several times though.

He was good at being bait. He didn’t particularly like that part, but he knew it was one of the reasons Zoe kept him around. He was good at having her back and shouting out when something was trying to sneak up on her. 

On nights like this, he was good at the clean up portion. He tended to the would-be victim and made sure they got away. Usually that part was simple. Normally, the person ran away as fast as their feet would carry them. He’d learned that it didn’t take them long to write off what had almost happened to them. To decide they’d imagined things or that they’d almost been held up by a drug addict.

Sophie Ventura was a prime example of that. She was one of the few victims Connor had recognized. She had run away screaming as soon as Zoe pulled the vampire off of her. She’d looked over her shoulder once and…

Connor had known. He’d known because he knew that look. It was one he got on a daily basis. One that Zoe was now starting to get used to receiving.

It was the look someone gave when they were disgusted by the person in front of them. It was a look of loathing and distrust and fear.

And, in the case of Sophie Ventura, it was the look of someone who felt the need to tell everyone and everything what she thought she’d seen. It hadn’t taken long for the whole school to decide that the Murphy siblings were caught up in some kind of gang war.

Connor hadn’t minded because it really wasn’t any worse than anything else people said about him. He knew it bothered Zoe though. She thought it was the final nail in the coffin that contained her social life.

 

Connor put the cigarette out with his foot when he heard the balcony door slide open. He braced himself as he waited for Zoe to make her usual snide comment about how those things would kill him. He swallowed his comeback when he saw Evan standing in the doorway. 

They stared at each other for a moment before Connor leaned forward to watch his sister and her Watcher whisper to each other across the room.

“So?” Connor finally asked.

“So what?”

Connor didn’t say anything. He simply crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Evan expectantly.

“So, uh… Zoe’s a…” 

“A Vampire Slayer,” Connor filled in when it became clear that Evan wasn’t going to finish his sentence.

“That,” Evan nodded. “Are you…”

Connor’s hands clenched at his sides as he debated how to answer that. He didn’t know how much information Evan had been given. He didn’t know how much information Evan could handle. He also knew that his position in this operation was tenuous at best and could very easily be jeopardized if he said the wrong thing.

“Last year,” Evan continued. “The gym… You two burned down the gym.”

“We were accused of burning down the gym,” Connor corrected.

“Right,” Evan said slowly. 

Connor couldn’t help laughing at his expression. It cemented the fact that Connor had been right about what the new school year would bring. They really were screwed if even someone like Evan Hansen thought they’d done it.

The charges had been officially dropped. Their father had seen to that. He’d argued that there was no proof that they’d done it. Nothing that definitively tied them to the crime. 

And he’d been right. The fact that they’d been found near the gym wasn’t enough to convict them. 

It was enough to convince everyone they knew that they were troubled though. Connor had been on thin ice for as long as he could remember. He’d battled his family, skipped school, made all sorts of questionable choices. 

This just felt like more of the same to him. Except this time, he wasn’t in it alone. 

The part he found hilarious was that he wasn’t bringing Zoe down with him. No, everyone was wrong about that. This was all her thing. He was just along for the ride.

“So, uh… Um… Did you?”

Connor’s laughter cut short at Evan’s words. He raised his eyebrows when he looked up again.

“I mean… I’m just wondering. I’m curious. I’m not going to tell anyone. It’s like I told Zoe. Who would I tell? I don’t have anyone to tell. Seriously, no one. Not that I would, even if I did… Was it something, like, I don’t know. Were there vampires involved or was it something else? You guys aren’t really in a gang, are you? Was it some kind of drug thing? Zoe doesn’t seem like the type to… Not that you seem the like type to… Except you kind of do, but you know that, don’t you? Everyone knows that.” 

Evan’s eyes widened as his brain caught up with him. His mouth snapped shut and he stared at his feet while they rocked back and forth anxiously.

Connor wasn’t particularly surprised by his outburst. He didn’t know much about Evan Hansen, but he knew this much. Evan tended to have two speeds. He either stayed silent or babbled incoherently. Connor wasn’t sure Evan was capable of anything in between. Not on a regular basis, at least.

“The gym was filled with vampires,” Connor told him.

“It… What?”

“Zoe found a pack of them under the bleachers and we led them to the gym.”

“So, you, uh, you burned it down? You actually-”

“Yeah,” Connor nodded. “Long story short, we burned it down.”

“Oh.”

“Is that a problem?”

Evan let out a startled laugh and shook his head. “Is that a problem? In the last hour, I’ve been, uh, stalked by a vampire, learned that vampires exist, learned that our town is filled with them, found out that-” Evan’s cheeks turned red as he took a breath. “-that Zoe slays them, that, um…”

Evan’s eyes squeezed shut as he leaned against the wall. “I-I think I need to sit down.”

Connor eyed him warily. He’d been waiting for this. The shock was finally starting to set in. 

“Okay. Let’s go then.”

“What?” Evan blinked.

“Let’s get you home. You look like you need to pass out.”

“Oh. I, uh. Is it… Are there others-”

“Relax,” Connor rolled his eyes. “You’ll be safe there. Vampires can’t come into your house unless you invite them in.”

“Are you sure?” Evan asked timidly.

“Of course, I’m sure. Out of the two of us, which one is the vampire expert?”

Evan nodded vaguely before wandering back inside. Connor followed him in and started for the door. He changed his course when he saw Bennie gesture towards the kitchen.

“Zoe says Evan’s in your year,” Bennie said before the door had even finished swinging shut.

“Yeah,” Connor nodded.

“What do you know about him? Can he be trusted?”

Connor stared blankly at the wall while he considered his answer. He knew Evan was different than the other guys at school. He was quieter. He was awkward. Extremely awkward. So awkward that even Connor had noticed his awkwardness.

He kept to himself a lot. He didn’t seem to have any friends, except possibly Jared Kleinman. Connor knew it wasn’t unusual to see them together at school.

Connor didn’t really know anything other than that. He’d always mentally classified Evan as one of the smart kids because he seemed the type.

Not that Connor spent a lot of time thinking about that kind of thing. It was a survival technique. Know who the threats were. Identify who was most likely to make his life a living hell. Know who laughed at him, who mocked him and wanted to cause him pain.

He’d never thought that Evan Hansen belonged to that group. 

He thought it was safe to say that after the night they’d had, Evan never would.

“Yeah,” Connor decided. “I think he can.”


	3. Chapter 3

Evan had always hated the first day of school. He supposed that was a relatively normal way to feel. Students who looked forward to going back to school must be some kind of…

Some kind of what?

They were happy. They were shiny, happy… Robots? Were those real? If vampires existed, then maybe robots…

Evan pulled the notepad out of his backpack and added the word ‘robots’ to it. He’d only started his list the night before and it was already five pages long.

Five pages, front and back. Five pages filled with the names of everything he’d ever been told didn’t really exist.

He hadn’t left the house in three days. He’d bolted the door and closed all the blinds after Connor dropped him off. It hadn’t taken long for the panic to set in completely. For him to start obsessing about what he’d learned.

He’d spent two days camped out on the couch, watching TV and looking things up online. He’d spiraled. He knew he had. He couldn’t help it.

He couldn’t stop thinking about what this meant. About what else was going on. About what other things he didn’t know about.

He heard his mother in the hallway and wondered, not for the first time, if she knew. She’d lived in Stormyvale her whole life. She worked in the hospital. How many times had he heard her mention the weird things people came in for? How many times had she talked to him about the importance of being aware of his surroundings?

He’d always assumed that was because of his tendency to zone out and disappear into his own world, but maybe…

She couldn’t know. If she knew, she would’ve told him. She would’ve said something. She would’ve done everything in her power to make sure he knew how to stay safe.

Just like she did everything in her power to encourage him to be optimistic. His mental health wouldn’t be her priority if she knew. Because, really, what was the point of worrying about things like anxiety and a lack of social skills when there were things that wanted to eat you? Literally eat you.

If she knew, the pep talk she’d given him that morning would have gone very differently. They would’ve spent less time talking about how he could make friends and more time talking about how to tell if any of his classmates were actually demons in disguise.

Evan threw the notepad back in his bag when he heard his mother come to a stop outside his door. He grabbed his backpack and stood up as she stepped into his room again.

“You ready?” Heidi asked. 

“Yeah,” Evan nodded.

 

Evan’s heart began to pound as he walked down the senior hallway. Not for the usual reason. Not completely, at least.

As he walked down the hall, he couldn’t stop thinking about the number of tragedies that had befallen his classmates over the years.

To his left, he saw Jeremiah Wilson whose father had died when they were in the fourth grade.

To his right, he saw Rachel Fields who had spent six months in a coma and claimed to have no recollection of the events that landed her in it.

Most of the incidents had happened a long time ago. Most of them no longer felt fresh, not even to the people who were directly affected by them. 

That wasn’t the case for everyone though. Evan realized that when he spotted Alana Beck at her locker. It was obvious that Alana was still upset about the fact that her best friend, Tracy, had vanished the year before. Alana had been quieter since Tracy disappeared. Quiet and withdrawn and completely exhausted. It had been months since Evan had seen Alana without a coffee cup or energy drink in her hand.

Jared Kleinman was another example of someone who was still reeling from a significant loss. Evan knew that his friend had never been particularly close to his brother, but Jared hadn’t been the same since Henry was killed.

Under mysterious circumstances. Henry had died under mysterious circumstances. That’s all Jared had told him. That was all that anyone knew.

Evan felt like his heart had come to a sudden stop when he saw Jared making a beeline for him. He turned to face his locker and tried to swallow his panic. 

He was suddenly struck with the idea that he knew how Henry had died. That he had at least some idea of what could have led to Henry’s death.

That there was no way he could tell Jared.

Jared wouldn’t understand. He wouldn’t believe him. He would think Evan was crazy. He would say that so loudly that everyone within earshot would hear.

“Hey,” Jared greeted sharply. “Give this to your mom.”

Evan accepted the paper in Jared’s hand and studied it. “Your mom’s having another rally?”

“Yeah,” Jared scoffed. “Because the last two worked so well.”

Evan nodded numbly. Jared’s mother had decided to channel all her feelings about her son’s death into her attempts to fix Stormyvale. Her monthly rallies were held in the center of town. People gathered together and shouted about how they were going to make the nights safe again.

Safe from violence. Safe from drugs. Safe from gangs.

Evan had thought the rallies were kind of ridiculous when he first heard about them. He never would have imagined they were this far off-base though.

“My, uh, my mom has class tonight,” Evan said.

“Oh,” Jared shrugged. “You’re coming though, right?”

“Um, maybe,” Evan said uncertainly. His head tilted as he tried to figure out why it was important to Jared that he attend. Jared was always quick to remind him that they weren’t really friends. That he only hung out with Evan to make his parents happy.

“Oh, wow, just when I thought…” Jared shook his head and chuckled grimly as he nodded at something down the hall. “Hey, Connor, loving the cross. Way to embrace the gang lifestyle.”

“Jared!” Evan hissed.

“What?” Jared snapped. “Come on. This is ridiculous. My brother was killed. Countless others have been killed. All because of these-”

“Jared, stop…”

“These gangs have taken over our town and he’s going around flaunting the fact that-”

“It’s a necklace. It’s not-”

“It’s a sign. A symbol. A-”

“You have a problem with my necklace?”

Evan squeezed his eyes shut as Connor walked over to them. He squeezed them shut and leaned against the lockers.

“Yeah, I have a-”

“Fuck you. It’s none of your-”

“-problem. How were you not expelled? Everyone knows-”

“-business what I wear.”

“-you burned down the freaking-”

“Jared, stop!”

Evan cringed when he heard his tone. That had come out louder than he’d meant it to. He wasn’t surprised when he opened his eyes and saw at least a dozen people staring at them. They’d been attracting a crowd before his outburst.

Jared let out a startled laugh and stared at him in disbelief. “Excuse me?”

“Just-just stop, okay?” Evan mutter. “Just-”

“You’re on his side?” Jared sneered.

“I’m not on-on anyone’s side. I’m just-”

“I’m out of here,” Jared muttered. He narrowed his eyes at Evan and turned on his heel to go.

Evan thought about calling after him, but he didn’t know what to say. That settled it though. Now, he had to go to the rally. He had to go or he’d never hear the end of it.

Connor was gone by the time Evan looked up again. He was gone, but people were still staring. Evan quickly closed his locker and headed to his homeroom. 

 

Mrs. Jensen’s classroom was half-full when Evan got there. He stepped to the side and pretended to fiddle with his backpack while he debated where to sit. He had his pick of seats, but it wasn’t an easy choice to make. Every empty desk was next to at least one person. Every one except the ones surrounding Connor. 

Connor had the entire back row to himself. 

Evan tightened his hold on his bag when he noticed that. He swallowed dryly when he realized that the people near him were whispering and throwing not-so-subtle glances in Connor’s direction.

Because, apparently, the ten weeks they’d spent away from school hadn’t been enough to make people stop speculating about the Murphys.

Evan had already heard all the rumors. He hated to admit that he’d believed them at first. 

He’d believed the ones about Connor, at least. It didn’t seem like a stretch of the truth to think that Connor Murphy was in a gang. That he’d burned down the gym as some kind of gang initiation. Or because he was high. Or because he was just that kind of guy. The kind everyone knew was trouble.

Evan had had a much harder time buying the idea that Zoe had been involved in the fire. She was nice. She was pretty and nice. She wasn’t the kind of person who went around destructing property just for the fun of it.

And he’d been right. He’d been right about Zoe. She was…

She was risking her life night after night to help people. To save their town. And Connor was helping her. And no one knew. 

No one except Evan.

It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. 

It wasn’t fair that people were talking about them like this. It wasn’t fair that Zoe was losing friends, that Connor was even more of an outsider than he was before.

Evan knew he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t say anything to make them stop.

So, he did the only thing he could.

He took the seat next to Connor.


	4. Chapter 4

Zoe had never really cared about vampires. She’d never had any strong feelings about them either way. She didn’t find them particularly scary. She also wasn’t one of those girls who dreamed of finding her very own Edward Cullen.

She’d read all the Twilight books. She’d seen the movies. She’d spent hours discussing the whole Team Edward versus Team Jacob dilemma with her friends. She thought the series was just okay though. She’d always been more of a Hunger Games kind of girl.

That was something she was grateful for now that she was the Slayer. The year she’d spent being obsessed with archery was really coming in handy now that she counted a crossbow as one of her most prized possessions.

 

Zoe’s life had been relatively boring before she’d been called. Boring and normal. She was a good student, but not at the top of her class. She had friends, but she’d never thought she was one of the popular kids.

Her home life was kind of a mess, but whose wasn’t?

Her life had suddenly gotten weird halfway through her sophomore year of high school. 

The dreams were the first sign. She hadn’t realized it at the time. She’d chalked it up to stress. Stress or eating something strange. Maybe her mother’s latest diet was causing her to have oddly vivid, extremely violent nightmares.

Her strength was the next clue. She knew something was wrong when she pulled Connor’s arm out of the socket. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. Not like that, at least. She’d been defending herself while he was in a mood and…

She’d decided it was just one of those things. She was like one of those moms who could suddenly lift a car off their baby. That was all it was.

Then, she’d split her door in half when she slammed it. Her parents had worried that there might be termites in the house, but Zoe had known better. She knew it was because of her.

Her strength, combined with her sudden increase in energy, had baffled her. She was in shape, but she’d never been particularly athletic. She’d taken dance lessons until she started high school, but she didn’t play any sports. She jogged once in a while. Not regularly though. Just when she felt like it, which really wasn’t all that often.

About a week after she sent Connor to the hospital, Mr. Benson started teaching at her school. He asked her to stay after band practice one day and… the rest was history.

It was a surprise. A shock, really. Zoe had been in denial about it at first. It wasn’t until Mr. Benson took her to a graveyard, until she actually saw a vampire with her own two eyes, that she started to grasp what was happening.

She’d worked hard ever since. She trained with Bennie. She trained on her own. She read everything she could get her hands on. She studied the kinds of demons that were out there. She dreaded the day when she would encounter a snake one. She’d always been terrified of snakes.

It was a hard job, a scary job. One that she wouldn’t have picked on her own. Someone had to do it though. 

She was determined to be an effective Slayer. To save her town. To stay alive and save her town. 

Emphasis on the alive part. She really didn’t want to die.

 

Six months in, Zoe was finally starting to feel like she was getting the hang of things. She knew what she was doing, more often than not.

She had a routine. She knew how to schedule her time so she didn’t fall behind in school. She knew what to say to her parents so they wouldn’t worry. She knew how to work with Connor. How to keep him in line when necessary.

Her social life was the only part she hadn’t worked out yet. Her friends were already mad at her when the whole gym thing happened. She knew that. She got it. She’d been ditching them for months. She’d been secretive and distracted. She’d missed parties and dinners and group chats. 

She wasn’t surprised when they sided with the rest of the school. Disappointed and sad, yes. She’d understood it though. Part of her hadn’t blamed them for thinking the worst of her.

She wanted to change that. She wanted to fix things with them. She wasn’t sure how. She’d barely spoken to them all summer. They’d exchanged a few texts, but that had been it.

Zoe had expected things to be better when they went back to school. And they were, sort of. Nicole’s locker was next to hers. They’d talked before homeroom. It had been awkward, but civil. 

She sat with them at lunch. It almost felt like old times. She laughed at Maya’s jokes and squealed when she saw the pictures of Jenny’s puppy.

It wasn’t the same though. She knew that. Deep down, she knew that it would never really be the same again. Life as she knew it was officially over.


	5. Chapter 5

Connor smacked the back of the flashlight with his hand and frowned as it struggled to blink back to life. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at his sister. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Aren’t we a little too visible?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Zoe shrugged. “I’m starting to think Bennie was wrong. Maybe the gas leak was just a gas leak.”

“Can we go then? I’m starting to feel like there are things crawling on me.”

Zoe bit her lip and looked around uncertainly. “Let’s give it a little more time.”

Connor shrugged and leaned back against the wall. He was starting to feel like this was just an excuse for her to make sure he did his homework. There really wasn’t any risk of a vampire family emerging from their graves tonight.

He would’ve put up a fight about it, but he knew it was pointless. This was one of Zoe’s conditions for letting him help her. 

He had to stay in school. He had to pass his classes. He’d asked her if he had to maintain a certain GPA in order to assist her, but she’d rolled her eyes and said that wasn’t necessary. He just had to pass. 

He wasn’t allowed to get high. Not at night at least. If she even suspected that he wasn’t completely sober, she banned him from going with her.

He thought about fighting her on it sometimes. He considered going out by himself. He knew that would be a mistake though. He was training with Bennie a couple times a week, but it wasn’t enough. He knew he’d never survive a night on his own.

He wasn’t completely helpless though. He got to fight sometimes. He’d even gotten to punch a vampire earlier that night. He was yet to actually stake one, but he knew that day would come. Eventually, Zoe would let him. Or she’d be in a position where she didn’t have a choice.

He had a feeling that was the more likely of the two.

“I’m going to do another lap around the graveyard,” Zoe decided. “We can go if I don’t find anything.”

Connor nodded vaguely and picked up his science book again. He didn’t know how Zoe expected him to get any studying done. His flashlight wasn’t working right and he didn’t feel like wasting his phone’s battery by using it to read.

His phone suddenly let out a loud buzzing sound. A series of loud buzzing sounds. 

Connor pulled it out of his pocket and unlocked the screen. He expected to be confronted with a bunch of texts from his mother, asking where he was. 

His eyes widened when he saw they were from Evan. He’d given Evan his number on a whim, but he hadn’t actually expected him to use it. 

 

_I’m on the 97 bus on Chester Street._

_I see someone I know is dead. Henry Kleinman._

_I went to his funeral._

_I saw him in the casket._

_He isn’t alone._

 

Connor cursed and shoved his phone back in his pocket. His eyes scanned the area as he stumbled to his feet. “Zoe! Zoe, we have to go!”


	6. Chapter 6

Evan’s mind didn’t go straight to vampire when he saw Henry. Despite everything he’d learned, despite the fact that he’d spent days obsessing over everything he’d learned, his first thought was that Henry Kleinman had somehow faked his death.

Which actually made even less since than the idea that Henry could be a vampire. Because vampires were real and Henry…

Henry wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He wasn’t dumb, exactly, but it was hard to imagine Henry pulling off something like this.

Or having a reason to pull off something like this. What sort of catastrophe could have made Henry Kleinman feel the need to fake his own death?

It took Evan almost a minute to realize the truth. To realize that Henry was a vampire. To realize that he was sitting with a group of other guys, who were most likely vampires too.

Evan’s hands shook as he pulled his phone out. He frantically texted Connor to let him know what was happening. He hoped Connor was with Zoe. He hoped they’d get the message in time.

Because the bus was stopping. The bus was stopping and the vampires were getting off.

They were going to the rally too.

 

Evan sent Connor a quick update as he got off the bus. He carefully put his phone back in his pocket. He kept waiting for it to buzz. To ring. To do something, anything, that would let him know Connor had seen his texts.

Nothing happened. Evan ran a hand through his hair while he scanned the crowd. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know if he should follow Henry or… 

He didn’t want to follow Henry. He didn’t want to monitor a pack of vampires. He wasn’t cut out for this.

Evan’s breath caught in his chest when he saw where the group was heading. 

They had joined another group. They were talking and nodding and spreading out.

They were spreading out and walking around the edge of the crowd.

This was a massacre in the making. Evan felt sick when that thought popped into his head. He had to do something. He had to warn everyone. To get them out of here.

Evan’s blood went cold as he pulled his phone out again.

Nothing. No texts. No missed calls.

If he made it out of this, he was going to have a talk with Connor about the importance of letting people know you saw their texts.

Evan’s phone rang just as he was starting to feel light-headed and see spots. He cringed when he saw his mother was calling him. 

“Hey, sweetie,” Heidi said. “My class let out early, so I’m going to be able to make it to the rally after all.”

“What?”

“Have you eaten yet? I was thinking we could grab something afterwards.”

Evan blinked as he tried to comprehend what she was saying. He swallowed nervously and tried to keep the panic out of his voice when he spoke again. “No! I mean, um… No. Don’t. The rally was, uh, was-was cancelled.”

“It was?”

“Yeah,” Evan nodded. “They, um, postponed it because of the-the rain.”

“The rain?”

He squeezed his eyes shut when he realized what he’d said. It was a clear night. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. “Because of the gun.”

Evan’s eyes widened as the plan started to form in his head. “Because of the threat. The gun threat. The-the-”

“Evan? Is everything-”

“Fine. Totally, completely fine… I’ll-I’ll see you at home, okay?”

There was a pause. A momentary pause. Evan felt like his stomach was going to drop to his feet.

“Okay… I’ll see you-”

“Hey, mom,” Evan cut in briskly. “I love you. You, uh, you know that, right?”

“I… I love you too, sweetie… Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“Yeah… I’ll see you in a bit.”

Evan hung up without waiting for a response. He hoped he was telling the truth. He hoped he really would see her soon.

 

Evan’s brain wouldn’t stop spinning as he wove his way through the crowd. It didn’t take him long to change his mind. 

A gun threat wouldn’t work. If he told one of the police officers that he’d seen someone with a gun, they’d want to know more. They’d want a description of the person. They’d make him answer questions and…

He couldn’t do that.

He also didn’t think it was a good idea to just shout the word ‘gun.’ That would cause a stampede. It would lead to chaos and chaos was bad. Chaos would make it easy for the vampires to strike.

He considered the idea of telling an officer that he’d seen an abandoned bag somewhere. A bomb threat might work. It would clear the area. It would be easy for him to say the bag must’ve been moved when they didn’t find anything.

Except a bomb threat would also lead to chaos.

Evan was in over his head. He didn’t know how to deal with things like this.

He came to a stop when he heard the microphone crackle to life. He looked up to watch as Jared and his parents took the stage. 

He listened as Mrs. Kleinman gave her speech. It was the same speech she’d given at the last two rallies. It was a speech about terror and hope and survival.

She knew how to work a crowd. She paced the stage and waved her arms and pumped her fist. Most of them had heard her speak before, but they reacted like she was saying something revolutionary. They cheered and clapped and shouted that they were reclaiming the night.

Evan’s head tilted to the side when he saw Jared stand up. He watched as his friend staggered to edge of the stage and stared at…

At Henry. Evan followed Jared’s gaze and spotted Henry standing by the fountain.

Evan could see the questions forming in Jared’s mind. He could see them, but he barely had time to think about what was going through Jared’s head before the podium burst into flames.


	7. Chapter 7

Zoe sprang out of the car as soon as Connor came to a stop. She didn’t wait for him to put it in park. She didn’t wait for him to catch up.

She ran towards the crowd. Her eyes darted around every which way as she tried to scope out the situation.

It only took her a moment to spot the vampires. They were prowling around on the outskirts of the rally. The fact that they weren’t striking made her suspicious. 

The fact that they were keeping their distance was definitely odd.

Zoe pulled out her phone and saw a text from Bennie that he was on his way. 

She couldn’t wait for him though. She couldn’t wait for Connor either. She had to do something. 

She started to push her way through the crowd. She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she felt like she had to keep moving in order to get a better feel for what was happening.

She hadn’t made it very far before the podium exploded.

And all hell broke loose.

She struggled to keep going against the crowd, but it quickly became clear that wasn’t an option. She found herself being pulled into the mob of people heading for the street. 

She kept going until she reached the sidewalk and saw them.

There were at least a dozen hooded figures standing on either side of the path. Zoe forced her way to the side as she watched them direct the crowd to the road. 

Zoe turned to look at the vampires and did a double take when she saw that the majority of them were running away.

One of them lunged forward, but was stopped by some kind of invisible force. Zoe couldn’t help smirking as he was thrown into the air and landed on his back.

Zoe took her chance and pounced on him, stake in hand. She did it instinctively, without thinking about the fact that she was in a very public place.

When she realized what she’d done, she looked around nervously. The vampire had been in the shadows. He’d landed in a shadowy area behind a monument. 

The majority of the crowd had already dispersed. They were gone. There were only a few stragglers and they were so panicked that Zoe was sure they hadn’t been paying attention to her.

She turned around quickly when she heard someone creep up behind her. She stood up and shifted her body into a defensive position as she watched one of the hooded figures approach.

Her eyes widened as the figure lowered her hood and looked Zoe up and down.

“So, the rumors are true,” Alana said amusedly. “Stormyvale finally has a Vampire Slayer.”


	8. Chapter 8

The podium exploded as soon as Connor reached the top of the hill. From his vantage point overlooking the square, he could see all the action below. He could hear the screams as the crowd hurried towards the road.

He watched as the people on the platform jumped into the pit beneath the stage. Two of them joined the stampeding mob while the third…

It took Connor a second to place who the third person was, to realize where he was going.

Jared Kleinman was pushing his way through the throng of people in hot pursuit of…

The vampires? Connor cursed and blinked dazedly as he wondered what that was about. He scanned the square for Zoe. He knew she was down there somewhere. He couldn’t pick her out of the crowd though. He kept waiting to see signs of fighting, to hear screams as people saw a vampire get staked.

He didn’t see anything. Nothing but people shouting and hyperventilating as they tried to find their cars.

Connor turned to look for Jared again. He decided it would be a good idea to locate Jared in case he had to perform a rescue mission.

The idea of having to save Jared made Connor feel slightly uneasy, but he knew he couldn’t in good conscience stand by while his classmate was taken down by a group of vampires.

Connor let out a startled laugh when his eyes finally landed on Jared. He watched as Evan suddenly tackled Jared from behind. They wobbled around precariously before falling to the ground.

Connor couldn’t see them anymore after that. He leaned forward to watch, but there were too many people and…

His eyes widened when he noticed the group directing traffic. There were at least a dozen people in hooded robes standing on either side of the sidewalk.

Because there really wasn’t anything strange about that.

Connor nodded to himself when he spotted a cloud of dust fly into the air. He somehow knew that must be where his sister had gone.

 

The majority of the crowd was gone by the time Connor reached the square. He ducked around a couple stragglers and nearly ran smack into Evan and Jared as they crossed the grass.

“What the hell was that?” Jared hissed. Something about his tone made Connor think this was not the first time he’d asked that question. Jared threw his arms up dramatically and glared at Evan.

“You-you, uh,” Evan stammered. “You were, uh, going the-the wrong way.”

“I was…” Jared’s cheeks puffed out as he glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah, I, uh, I know. I was… This is going to sound crazy, but… I thought I saw Henry.”

“Henry?”

“Yeah.”

“Your brother?”

“Yeah,” Jared huffed.

“He’s-”

“Dead, I know. There was a guy though. A guy by the fountain. He looked exactly like…” Jared stopped speaking when he noticed Connor watching them. “What do you want?”

Connor met Evan’s stare briefly before looking Jared in the eye. He knew that look. He was certain he’d sported a similar one when he was trying to figure out what was going on with Zoe.

If Jared was anything like him, he wouldn’t let this go until he got to the bottom of it. And that was dangerous. Connor made a split-second call. He decided that it would be worse for everyone if Jared didn’t know than if he did.

“You didn’t tell him?” Connor asked Evan.

“Tell me what?” Jared’s eyes narrowed as he looked between the two of them.

“Um-” Evan started. He anxiously shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“That your brother’s a vampire.”

Jared snorted and tried to catch Evan’s eye. “Wow, okay. What did you smoke tonight because-” Jared cut himself off abruptly when he saw the look on Evan’s face. “You believe him?”

Connor decided to take that as his cue to go. He caught a brief glimpse of Evan’s expression as he turned to leave and knew he would be hearing about this later.

Possibly. If Evan ever worked up the courage to yell at him.

Connor wasn’t sure what the odds were of that happening.

 

Zoe was sitting on a bench, surrounded by the people in robes, when Connor caught up with her. He did a double take when he realized that he actually recognized a few of them.

Mr. Hunter, his seventh-grade science teacher.

Lilly, the eccentric lady who worked at the health food store.

Dr. Adams, the woman who ran the veterinary hospital.

And, sitting next to Zoe, Alana Beck, his classmate, who was in the middle of telling a story about how she came from a whole line of witches.

“My grandmother was a witch. She taught us-” Alana gestured to a guy standing behind her. A guy Connor assumed was her brother. “-as much as she could before she died.”

“Was your grandmother Rosa Beck?” Bennie asked curiously. Connor shifted slightly when he realized he hadn’t noticed that Bennie was there too. He was standing under a tree with several of the hooded figures.

“Yup,” Alana nodded. “That was my gran.”

“Well, if you take after her at all-” Bennie began.

“Hey,” the figure next to Mr. Benson cut in sharply. “We’re not done here.”

Connor felt his heart speed up when he heard that voice. He knew that voice. He knew…

The person’s hood fell down and Connor’s suspicions were confirmed. 

“Aunt Jamie?” 

Connor wasn’t the only one who gasped her name. There was a slight rustling sound as Zoe slid off the bench and came over to stand next to him.

Jamie glanced at them quickly before turning back to Bennie. She punched his arm roughly and narrowed her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me my niece is the new Vampire Slayer?”


	9. Chapter 9

Alana moaned and buried her face in her arms when the overhead light came on above her. She peeked out just enough to see her father standing in the doorway. 

At least he was alone. She didn’t think she could handle talking to anyone else at that moment. She felt like she’d just run a marathon. Every bone in her body ached. It had taken all of her energy to make it into the house. The thought of going down to the basement made her want to curl up in a ball and sleep on the kitchen floor.

“Well, isn’t this a familiar sight?” Mr. Beck said fondly.

Alana lifted her head up to squint at him. “Huh?”

“My mother, your grandmother, she used to look like that after a fight too.”

“It wasn’t really a fight,” Alana told him. “It was just… I don’t know. We got the people out of there and the vampires-”

“You’re being careful, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” Alana nodded.

“And Alan… You two are watching each other’s backs?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Good,” Mr. Beck sighed. He shook his head when he heard a scratching noise at the basement door. “You might want to head down there. She’s been doing that for hours. I would’ve let her come up here, but Sally still hasn’t gotten used to having a cat in the house.”

Alana turned to watch as their dog stretched in her sleep. 

“Try to get some sleep tonight, okay?” Mr. Beck suggested lightly. He clapped a hand on her shoulder before heading back upstairs.

Alana rubbed her eyes as she stumbled across the room to the basement door. 

Tracy was sitting at the top of the steps, meowing and digging her claws into the carpet.

“Come on,” Alana sighed. She flicked the light on and scooped her friend up as she made her way down to her bedroom. 

She plopped Tracy down on her chair and started getting ready for bed. 

She’d never been much of a cat person and that fact hadn’t changed when she accidentally turned her best friend into one.

She still didn’t know how she’d managed that one. That was the problem. She couldn’t undo the spell until she figured out what she’d done in the first place.

It had happened in the middle of a pixie fight that spring. It was Tracy’s first time joining the coven on a mission. She only knew a few spells, but she’d insisted on going with them. Alana had meant to cast a protection spell on her during a particularly hairy moment, but she’d gotten it wrong somehow.

Not only had she gotten it wrong, but she’d somehow locked the spell so that no one else could reverse it.

The others had tried to help her. Several members of the coven claimed they were still looking for answers. Alana was starting to lose hope though.

This would never have happened to her grandmother. It would never have happened if her grandmother were still alive.

Her grandmother would have protected Tracy and, if she hadn’t, she would’ve known how to lift Alana’s spell the second it happened.

It was embarrassing. Alana was the granddaughter of one of the most powerful witches their town had ever seen. Everyone expected her to take after her grandmother. She heard the way they talked about her. She knew they expected great things from Rosa Beck’s granddaughter.

Alan had it easy by comparison. It wasn’t that men couldn’t be powerful. It was just different. No one expected Rosa Beck’s grandson to inherit her talents, especially when his father and uncle didn’t.

Alana and Alan were the only legitimate wizards in the family. Their mother didn’t use magic at all. She was actually quite terrified of it and liked to pretend that it didn’t exist. Their sisters only knew a few spells. Summoning ones, cleaning ones, simple ones that made their lives easier. Their father’s abilities were only slightly more advanced than his eldest daughters. He could be useful in a pinch, but he really preferred not to be involved in anything to do with the supernatural.

Alan was better at magic than Alana was. That fact bothered her a lot. She tried to console herself with the fact that he’d been at it three years longer than she had, but that usually didn’t make her feel much better. 

He was better at thinking on his feet and improvising. He didn’t get drained like she did after nights like this one. 

He was the one the coven called when something was going on. She was the one who tagged along because her big brother had gotten the call.

They liked him. Alana often felt like they only tolerated her. 

Because she didn’t fit in, not even with a group that she had always assumed she was destined to be a part of.

Alana yawned and squeezed her eyes shut as she willed herself to stop moping around. It was late and she was exhausted and she had a tendency to let herself sink into a funk when she was this tired.

Tracy was staring at her when she opened her eyes. Alana met her friend’s stare and wondered, not for the first time, how much Tracy understood. There were moments when Alana was sure that her friend was still around, fully aware of everything that was happening.

Other times, she felt like was just looking at a cat.

“Trace,” Alana said softly. “I need to sleep, okay? Can you please let me sleep tonight? I know you’re a night cat and all, but…”

Tracy stretched her legs in front of her and let out a loud meow before settling down on top of Alana’s pillow.

“Good kitty,” Alana beamed. She cautiously patted Tracy on the head.

The fact that Tracy whacked her arm with her paw gave Alana hope that her friend was still in there somewhere.


	10. Chapter 10

The sounds of a late-90s pop group filled the car as soon as Jamie started the engine. 

“Don’t laugh,” Jamie said defensively. “My taste in music really hasn’t changed since high school. Eventually, you reach a point where you simply don’t care about the new stuff they put out... At least, that’s the way it is with me, but I guess I’ve never done things the normal way.”

Zoe was quiet for a moment while she buckled her seatbelt. It was just the two of them. They’d walked Connor to his car before searching for Jamie’s. 

“So, you’re a witch then?” Zoe finally asked. She didn’t know how to begin this conversation. She didn’t know why it was up to her to start it. Jamie had been the one who insisted they needed to talk.

“And you’re a Vampire Slayer,” Jamie nodded.

“The Vampire Slayer,” Zoe corrected. “Emphasis on _the_.”

“The Vampire Slayer,” Jamie echoed. 

“You know about…” Zoe shrugged her shoulders and stared out the window. She was too tired, too overwhelmed, to finish that thought.

“You’re not the first Slayer I’ve met.”

That got Zoe’s attention. She sat up a bit straighter as she turned to face her aunt. “I’m not?”

Jamie shook her head as her hands slid down the steering wheel. “Junior year of college, I spent a semester in London. I met up with a coven there and they did some work for the Watchers’ Council. That’s how I met Will.”

“Will?”

“Your Watcher.”

“You know Bennie?”

Jamie laughed and looked at her quickly. “You call him Bennie? I’m going to give him so much crap about that.”

Zoe could feel her cheeks heating up as she stared at her hands. “It’s a nickname. It’s stupid, but-”

“No, that’s not what I meant. It suits him. It’s just funny, is all. When we first met, he was still in training and he kept going on about how important it was not to get too familiar with your Slayer.”

“Oh,” Zoe muttered.

“Obviously that’s changed. He speaks highly of you. Of course, I didn’t know you were the one he was speaking highly of. He somehow neglected to tell me that my niece was the new Slayer.”

“So, you, uh, you said you knew another Slayer?” Zoe swallowed sharply. It felt like there was something tumbling around in her stomach. 

She didn’t like thinking about other Slayers. She didn’t like thinking about what it all meant. The fact that she’d been called meant that the previous Slayer had died.

It meant that the next Slayer would be called when something managed to kill her.

“I did,” Jamie said quietly. “Her name was Jess. She was nineteen and lived in central London. She was a tiny thing. She looked like you could snap her in half without even trying. She was strong though. Really strong. And so fast. I swear it looked like someone was using special effects on her whenever she ran.”

“How’d she die?”

“I’m-I’m not sure. She was still alive when I left. I, um, I didn’t hear anything from Will or any of the others for a while after that.”

Jamie let go of the wheel as she pulled up to a red light. “Jess is the reason I came back here. Well, one of them anyway. I never thought this was fair. The whole Chosen One thing. The idea that one girl should be forced to devote her life to doing what you do. That she has to do it alone. See, that used to be the thing, even more than it is now. The Watchers’ Council was very into the idea of the Slayer standing on her own without any back-up.”

“I have help though. I mean, Bennie… And Connor-”

“What’s going on there?” Jamie laughed. “The only thing more surprising than learning that you’re the Slayer was seeing you with your brother.”

“He, um,” Zoe chuckled and blinked at the light. “He kept following me. Or trying to, at least. I managed to ditch him, but… Then, I saved him one day and, well, I don’t know… I tried to convince him he was seeing things, but…”

“That’s good though. I’m glad you two are getting along.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it getting along,” Zoe scoffed. “It’s more like we have an agreement. I let him tag along if he doesn’t act like a total asshole.”

“Still,” Jamie smiled. “It’s good that you have back-up.”

“I guess,” Zoe shrugged. She bit her lip as she tried to sort through her thoughts. “So, when you said you came back because of Jess, you meant-”

“I meant that I’ve spent the last thirteen years helping the current Slayer whenever I can. It seemed like a good idea to move back when I heard the new Slayer was from my hometown. I wasn’t able to help Jess much when I came back to the U.S., but I’ve done research here and there when the Watchers’ Council has asked me to. And last year, I actually flew down to Brazil to help one of the Potentials with a-”

“Potentials?”

“Potential Slayers. Will hasn’t mentioned them?”

Zoe shook her head curiously.

“Potential Slayers are exactly what they sound like. Girls with the potential to become the Slayer. The Watchers’ Council tracks them and trains them when they find them.”

“But, I wasn’t trained. No one found me before I was called.”

“It’s not a perfect system,” Jamie explained. “Lots of girls are missed. It’s not unusual for one they hadn’t identified to be called.”

“But, they do this too then,” Zoe said quickly. Her hands twisted around in her lap as her heart sped up hopefully. “I’m not the only one?”

“They don’t have your strength or your… I don’t know. They’re not Slayers. They’re not nearly as powerful as you are. They’re just… They’re more capable of handling supernatural problems than normal humans would be.”

“Oh…” Zoe tried to push the disappointment out of her mind. “Can I, um, can I talk to them or…”

“I don’t know,” Jamie admitted. “You’ll have to ask Will.” Her eyes lit up as she let out a snort. “I mean, Bennie. Ask Bennie about it when you see him tomorrow.”

“I will,” Zoe nodded. She sat up suddenly as they turned onto her street. “Alana said she comes from a family of witches.”

“She does,” Jamie said slowly.

“So, does that mean... My mom… She’s not…”

“Your mother is most definitely not a witch,” Jamie smirked. “It’s true that these things are often passed down in families, but that’s not always the case. It’s not a biological thing. This isn’t like Harry Potter. It’s not Muggles versus wizards. Anyone is capable of magic if they try. If they know how to try. People who have witches in their family are only at an advantage because they usually grow up around magic.”

“Oh,” Zoe sighed. “So, are you the only one in our family?”

“Yeah,” Jamie nodded. “I came to this all on my own. I started practicing in high school because I was… I was bored and lonely and curious and I stumbled across something that made me feel special at a time when I really needed that in my life. I didn’t get serious about it until college. Before that, I mainly used it to float pencils and put streaks in my hair. I’ve saved a fortune on hair dye over the years.”

Zoe tapped her fingers on her knees while she digested that information. Part of her had been hoping to find out that her mother was secretly a witch. Or that she at least knew about magic. The idea that she could go up to her mother and confess everything and actually be understood had been very appealing.

She clenched her teeth and tried to let go of her feelings when she felt Jamie watching her.

“Can you do something with my hair?” Zoe wondered. “I’ve been thinking about doing something different. I don’t know. Maybe red streaks this time? May as well live up to my rep as the most dangerous girl in school.”

“That’s the spirit,” Jamie grinned. “Why don’t you stop by the library after school tomorrow? We can-” Jamie stopped speaking when she caught Zoe staring up at her house. “You haven’t told your parents, have you?”

“Of course not,” Zoe shuddered. The very idea of having that conversation with her parents made her feel like she was going to break out with hives.

“I know I should probably be a responsible adult who encourages you not to lie to them, but…” Jamie folded her arms across the chest and shook her head at the door. 

“They wouldn’t believe me,” Zoe whispered.

“Can you blame them?” Jamie asked softly. “This is one of those things you have to see to believe.”

“I guess,” Zoe said uncertainly.

“Listen, I know it’s not the same, but you can call me anytime. If you need to talk or… I don’t know. If you’re on a stakeout and need to be out all night, you can always tell your parents you’re staying at my place. Just text me first so I’m not caught off-guard if they ask.”

“Okay,” Zoe mumbled. “Thanks.”

Jamie shut her eyes before looking up again. “I meant what I said about coming here to help the Slayer. I’ve always thought this is a really crappy thing to put on an innocent girl. It’s… Wi-Bennie said you’re going to start training with him before school now?”

“Yeah… Why?”

“Because… Because it’s been ages since I worked on my fighting skills. I got my butt kicked in Brazil last year.” Jamie chuckled derisively at the memory. “I think I might have to start showing up for some of your sessions… If that’s okay with you.”

Zoe thought about it a moment before nodding. “Sure. Why not? As long as you don’t mind getting your butt kicked on a daily basis…”


	11. Chapter 11

Jared learned a lot during the first week of school. In fact, he thought it was safe to say that he learned more during the first week of twelfth grade than he did during the first week of all the previous grades put together.

Of course, it was worth noting that very little of what he learned came from his classes.

He learned that vampires were real. That Zoe Murphy was somehow destined to slay them. 

Demons were real. Monsters were real. There was a very real possibility that the monster he saw under his bed when he was five had actually existed. It hadn’t been his imagination playing tricks on him or an elaborate prank perpetrated by Henry.

Henry was a vampire now. There was a soulless demon roaming around town wearing his brother’s face. That was quite possibly the most terrifying thing Jared had ever heard.

Jared didn’t like to think about that. He didn’t like to think about any of it. If he thought about it too much, he’d start to look like Evan.

Jared preferred to focus on the things he’d learned that weren’t nightmare-inducing.

He’d learned that Evan had missed his calling in life. Judging from the way he’d tackled Jared on the night of the rally, Evan really should’ve gone out for the football team.

It amused Jared to think about how different things would be for them if that had happened.

It was easier for Jared to think about that aspect of it instead of dwelling on the fact that Evan had saved his life that night.

Not that he would ever admit that out loud. Instead, he opted to moan about imaginary pains in his shoulder and remind Evan to use his words.

Evan had to know he was grateful though. That was obvious, wasn’t it?

Perhaps not, seeing as how this was Evan he was talking about. Jared knew he should probably try to be nicer.

But where was the fun in that?

 

The fact that Alana Beck was a crazy cat lady had to be the most interesting thing Jared had learned.

It was just so random. So perfectly, amazingly strange.

He never would’ve guessed that Alana called her sister during lunch every day so that she could video chat with her cat.

Jared kept his head down to mask his laughter as he listened to Alana’s conversation. She wasn’t talking to the cat like it was her pet. She wasn’t cooing and saying things like “pretty kitty.” No, she was telling her cat all about how she’d solved a problem in Trigonometry.

Jared glanced up long enough to shake his head at the way the cat was staring at the screen. He looked away quickly when Alana caught him looking.

His eyes darted across the band room to the group gathered in the back. He could feel the resentment building up in him again as he watched them whisper to each other. Something was going on. Something that they were purposely leaving him out of.

At least, he wasn’t the only one. Though the fact that the only other person being excluded was the crazy cat lady wasn’t particularly reassuring.

Jared thought about getting up and wandering over to them. It wasn’t like they’d said he couldn’t join them. It was just that they’d called Evan over. They would’ve said something if they’d wanted him to come too.

This was new. They’d all been eating lunch in the band room since the second day of school, ever since Zoe tracked them all down and said they needed to talk. Usually, Zoe and Connor sat in the back with Mr. Benson while Evan and Jared sat in the middle and Alana sat on the steps, talking to her cat.

Jared had moved over to sit next to Alana when Evan got up, but she didn’t seem to care. Apparently, having a one-sided conversation with her cat was more interesting than talking to him.

“Okay, Lanie, I have to get ready for work.”

Jared looked up again when he heard Alana’s sister in the background.

“Okay,” Alana sighed. “Don’t forget to put her back in the basement this time.”

“I didn’t forget,” her sister hissed. “She wouldn’t go! I showed you the scratches…”

“You just have to know how to talk to her. She-”

“It’s her own fault she had to spend the afternoon on top of the refrigerator!”

Alana rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Come on, Tracy, be good, okay? Let Alicia-”

“Tracy?” Jared laughed. 

Alana narrowed her eyes at him before turning back to her phone. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Jared’s laughter grew louder after she hung up. “You named your cat after your friend?”

His laughter cut short when he realized what he’d said. Tracy Jacobs was missing. She was Alana’s best friend and she was missing.

Missing or…

Jared felt like a terrible person as his mind filled in that blank.

Alana’s head dropped down as she fiddled with her backpack. “That was Tracy.”

“Tracy-Tracy?”

“Yeah,” Alana nodded. 

“She’s a cat now?” Jared dropped his gaze when he saw her expression. “I’m going to, uh...” He gestured at the group in the back.

Alana shrugged and left the room without saying another word.

Jared tried to swallow his embarrassment as he joined the others at Mr. Benson’s desk. They were all leaning forward to read something on his laptop.

Jared’s eyes widened when he saw the page. Henry had been on that site the day he died. He’d posted something on it right before he left the house for the last time. Jared opened his mouth to tell them that, but he stopped himself when Evan started making what could only be described as a choking sound.

“So, you, uh, you…” Evan laughed nervously and scratched at his neck. “You-you want me to… You want to use me as bait?”


	12. Chapter 12

Evan shut his laptop and closed his eyes as soon as he finished his latest entry. 

It had been almost a week since he’d started posting on RISE and he still hadn’t gotten any bites. In person or online.

Evan knew he should probably be disappointed about that. He knew everyone else was. They’d been hoping he would be able to help them locate the vampires that were using RISE to stalk their victims.

Because viral vampires were a thing. Just when he’d thought the internet couldn’t get any weirder, he’d learned that there was an entire social media site being run by demons.

A social media site that had thousands of users and a whole host of purposes.

He had a feeling they’d get around to dealing with some of the others later, but right now Zoe and her Watcher were primarily interested in putting a stop to the gang of vampires that were terrorizing their town.

They’d given Evan the task of trying to get their attention by posting on the site. Because somehow Evan was their best option. 

Zoe couldn’t use it for obvious reasons. She had to keep her identity a secret. She wasn’t even using social media anymore. Evan had hastily looked down when he’d heard that. He’d looked down and willed himself not to blush when Jared mentioned that they’d noticed her Instagram had disappeared.

Connor was out too. He was too close to Zoe. Mr. Benson thought it would be too risky to put him on there.

Jared couldn’t use RISE because of Henry. Because Mr. Benson thought it was a good thing that Henry was staying clear of his family. Because letting Jared use the site might change that. And it would not end in a happy, heart-warming family reunion.

Alana was too well-known in the supernatural community. Well, her family was at least. They were famous for their good deeds. It wouldn’t be believable for her to suddenly start using a site like that.

So, that left Evan. He was the nobody in the group.

Evan had clicked around the site for a while before deciding that there were two kinds of users that interested the vampires.

There were people who seemed lively and funny and interesting. Henry seemed to fall into that category. Evan recognized his posts when he found them. He wondered if that was why Henry had been turned. He wondered if Mr. Benson was right and the vampires really were using the page to scope out people’s personalities before deciding which victims they wanted to sire.

The other type seemed, to put it bluntly, pathetic. They wrote long, angsty, sad posts about how miserable they were.

Evan decided he could do that. He belonged in that category. It wouldn’t be hard for him to be pathetic. To sound like a pathetic, lonely person who would make an ideal foot soldier.

Because that was what he suspected became of those users. 

Evan really hoped it wouldn’t get to that point. He hoped he would never be in a position where he actually had to meet the vampires lurking around the site. 

Part of him hoped that he sounded too pathetic, even for them.

Judging from Jared’s reaction when he saw Evan’s latest post, there was a very real possibility that was not far from the truth.

“Don’t you think you’re overdoing it?” Jared chuckled as he sat down on the couch next to Evan.

Evan tried to keep his face blank as he panicked about the fact that Jared was reading what he’d written. He tried not to let the panic consume him when he realized that Connor was most likely reading it too.

At least, they were the only ones in Mr. Benson’s living room just then. Zoe was in the basement training with her Watcher. Evan could hear the sounds of Zoe hitting the practice dummy. Alana and Jamie were camped out in Mr. Benson’s study, reading about pixies. Apparently, Jamie had a theory that might help Alana with something she was working on.

“You’re, uh…” Evan couldn’t bring himself to finish that thought. It was stupid. He couldn’t believe he had been stupid enough to think that the others weren’t reading everything he wrote.

He’d just assumed that they would only be involved if/when he got a response. He wouldn’t have posted the things he’d written if he’d thought they were reading them. He wouldn’t have gone on about feeling invisible and useless and...

He’d written an entire post about how no one would even notice if he dropped off the face of the earth. He’d written it because it had been late and he’d been tired and experiencing a momentary feeling of frustration about the fact that he was failing his assignment.

That one may have overdone it a bit. His most recent one hadn’t though. He didn’t think it had.

The sound of the doorbell ringing spared Evan from having to hear any more of Jared’s thoughts on the subject. He breathed a sigh of relief as Jared got up to get their pizzas. 

“No one’s signed your cast.”

Evan started at Connor’s words. That statement alone was enough to make him shift uncomfortably, but it was even worse when he considered who had said it.

Evan looked up cautiously and was surprised when he didn’t see any malice in Connor’s expression. No sarcasm. No cruelty. Just…

He wasn’t sure what he was seeing. He settled back in the cushions and picked at a loose string on his shirt. “No… I…”

“I’ll sign it,” Connor offered.

“Um, that’s okay…” Evan muttered. “You don’t have… Oh.”

Connor was sitting next to him with a marker in his hand when Evan looked up again. He looked at Evan expectantly. Evan took a breath before shakily extending his arm. He couldn’t help laughing when he saw the way Connor had signed his name.

“That’s…” Evan didn’t know how to finish that sentence. He didn’t want to say something that would upset Connor or hurt his feelings. It was just, well, it was a bit weird to see Connor’s name covering an entire side of his cast.

“No way they’ll miss that,” Connor smirked as he nodded in the direction of the kitchen. “It’ll make them feel bad for not signing it first.”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Evan stammered. “Right.”

He stared at his cast while his finger absentmindedly traced the letters. 

“Come on,” Connor said suddenly. “We better go get some pizza before Zoe eats it all.”


	13. Chapter 13

“I got a call from your guidance counselor today.”

Connor froze with his fork in mid-air. He clenched his teeth together as he turned to meet his mother’s stare. “What?”

“Ms. Lombard. She called me today.”

“What did he do this time?” Larry sighed.

“Nothing!” Connor snapped. He dropped his fork and folded his arms across his chest. 

It was the truth. He hadn’t done anything. He couldn’t think of a single thing he’d done that would make Ms. Lombard call his mother.

“We talked about this,” Larry said firmly. He looked from Connor to Zoe and back again. “We talked about how important it is for you two to keep your noses clean. You can’t afford to mess up again. Not after the gym. Not after everything I-”

“Oh my God! I didn’t do anything!” Connor exploded.

“You-” Larry began.

“He’s telling the truth, Larry,” Cynthia said quietly. She put a hand on her husband’s arm to silence him. “She didn’t call because he did something. She called because he didn’t.”

“I…” Connor shook his head dazedly. “What?”

“She said she’s been trying to set up an appointment with you for weeks, but you keep avoiding her.”

Connor slid down in his chair. “I have no idea what she’s talking about.”

And he didn’t. He’d only seen Ms. Lombard once since school resumed. She’d been in the hallway and… Okay, she may have motioned for him to come over, but she couldn’t prove that. She could’ve been gesturing at anyone. And there may have been one other time when she looked like she was coming over to him and he headed off in the opposite direction. But that was it. It wasn’t like he was hiding from her or something.

“I asked her to speak to you when we went to Back to School Night,” Cynthia explained.

“Why?” Connor demanded.

“Because you won’t talk to us about your plans,” Cynthia replied. “You won’t talk to us about college or your future or-”

“I’m not going to college,” Connor cut in sharply. He shut his eyes to avoid his parents’ stares. He could feel them watching him. Judging him. Willing him to become the son they wanted to have. 

He nearly knocked the chair over in his hurry to stand up. “I’m done eating.”

“Sit down, Connor,” Larry ordered.

Connor looked his father in the eye as he took a tentative step backwards. The sound of Zoe clearing her throat made him pause. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and he knew. 

If he left now, she would ban him from going with her for at least a week.

He hated how much power she had over him now. He hated that she knew how much power she had over him now.

He sat down and tilted his head back to glare at the ceiling.

“Just meet with her, okay?” Cynthia said softly. “What’s the harm in talking to her one time?”

“I-” Connor sighed when he saw Zoe watching him. “I’ll make an appointment tomorrow.”

“Good,” Cynthia beamed. She folded her hands in front of her and looked at Larry quickly.

“Now?” Larry asked brusquely. 

Cynthia nodded and took a breath. “Your father and I were just talking about the fact that your birthday is coming up.”

“Yeah,” Connor said slowly. “So?”

“So, we were thinking it might be nice to have a, uh, a get-together of some kind. Eighteen is an important one and-”

“You want to throw me a party?” Connor laughed. 

“Not a party,” Cynthia said. “A dinner, maybe. A family dinner.”

“A family dinner?” Connor recoiled at the thought. He couldn’t think of anything he’d hate more than that.

“Can we invite our friends?” Zoe wondered. 

Connor’s head snapped to the side as he turned to scowl at her.

There was a moment of silence as their parents took in that information. Connor could practically see the wheels turning in their heads. He could almost feel the excitement brewing inside his mother, the confusion emanating from his father.

“Friends?” Cynthia finally whispered.

“Yeah,” Zoe nodded. “Evan, Jared, and Alana. Can they come?”

“Of course,” Cynthia said breathlessly. “I’ll… Do you have their numbers? I can-”

“We’ll ask them,” Zoe filled in.

Connor nodded gratefully. At least she was sparing him the embarrassment of having his mother call his so-called friends.

Because… Were they really his friends? He wasn’t sure. He was starting to feel like Evan might be. Sort of. He didn’t think he’d put Jared and Alana in that category though.

“We need to go finish our homework,” Zoe announced.

Connor nodded again as he followed her gaze. The sun was starting to set. It was almost showtime.

“You two have a lot of homework this year,” Larry observed.

“Tons,” Zoe moaned. “So, we really should…”

“Go,” Cynthia agreed. “I’ll clean up tonight.”

Zoe bit her lip guiltily as she glanced at her mother. “Oh, um… We can-”

Connor shook his head slightly and nodded at the window. Bennie had given them a list of seven vampires he expected to rise that night. There was no telling how much trouble a group of newborn vampires could get into if left to their own devices.

“We’ll make breakfast tomorrow,” Zoe promised.

Connor swallowed his laughter when he realized she was being dead serious.

 

They walked through the graveyard for nearly ten minutes before Connor couldn’t take it anymore. He shoved his hands in his pockets and let out an indignant sigh. “What was that back there?”

“What was what?”

“Why did you bring up Evan and the others? What’s it to you if I go to college and… I don’t know. What do you, like, get some kind of thrill out of messing with my life?”

“I’m not trying to mess with your life. I’m trying to make sure you have one.”

“What?”

“I want to make sure that when I’m gone-”

“Where are you going?”

Zoe squeezed her eyes shut as she took a breath. “Do you know what the average life expectancy is for a Vampire Slayer?”

Connor stopped in his tracks and stared at her. “You think you’re going to die soon?”

“I know I am,” Zoe laughed grimly. “I… I’m careful and… I don’t know. I might be around for a few more years, if I’m lucky, but I won’t last much longer than that. Most Slayers don’t make it to 20. None of them have ever made it past 25.”

“Bennie told you that?”

“Aunt Jamie did. She, uh, she’s been helping me research previous Slayers. She thinks it’ll make me a better Slayer if I learn from their mistakes and whatnot.”

Connor’s mind went blank as he tried to grasp what she was saying. The thought of Zoe dying… He knew they were involved in something serious. He knew this wasn’t a game. He hadn’t stopped to think about how long it would last though.

“I need to know that you’ll be okay,” Zoe continued. “Because if you’re okay, then Mom and Dad will be okay. Eventually. They’ll be okay eventually.”

Connor swallowed sharply and stared at his feet. He got what she meant. He got it because he’d had the same thought every time he’d considered ending his life. He’d thought about how much better off his family would be without him. About how his parents would still have Zoe. The golden child. The child who was going places and doing things the right way. 

“So, that’s why you… All of this. That’s why you keep getting on my case?”

“That and I kind of hated who you were before.” She chuckled when she saw the look on Connor’s face. “That can’t be a surprise, can it? You were… There’s a reason I dislocated your shoulder that day. You were-”

“Horrible,” Connor finished. “I know. I was horrible to everyone, especially you.”

“Yeah,” Zoe agreed. “You were.” 

“I’d blame it on the weed, but-”

“I thought you weren’t an addict,” Zoe smirked.

Connor rolled his eyes and looked away. He’d made that comment many times. So many times he’d lost count. Every time his parents talked about sending him somewhere. To rehab, to a yoga retreat, to military school. He’d always claimed he didn’t have a problem.

“Do you still…” Zoe made a face before using her fingers to mime smoking.

“Not really,” Connor admitted. “Not at night and not before school because… You know.”

Zoe nodded knowingly. Because she’d made it clear he couldn’t get in trouble at school. Because they had to keep their noses clean. Because they were both on thin ice after the gym fire.

“We should market this,” Zoe joked. “We could make a fortune. Kick your bad habits by kicking demon butt.”

“Sure,” Connor nodded. “After we finish school. So, you better make sure you stick around long enough to see it through.”

Zoe smiled slightly as she pointed at a grave across from them. Connor watched as a hand suddenly burst out of the ground.

“I’ll do my best,” Zoe promised.


	14. Chapter 14

“You should’ve heard them, Trace,” Alana shook her head irritably. “It’s like they… They genuinely feel like they-”

Alana shut her mouth when she heard someone walking around above her. The last thing she needed was for one of her sisters to hear her complaining about them. Tensions were already high enough as it was.

Her sisters were on a warpath. They had been acting out for days, ever since their mother dragged out the old chore chart. They really, truly believed they should be exempt from doing the bulk of the housework because they thought Alana could get it done with a simple wave of her hand.

Never mind the fact that the spells they were talking about were exhausting and, in Alana’s opinion, a total waste of her time and energy. Alice wouldn’t stop bringing up the fact that her children were her top priority. Nothing else mattered. She had to devote whatever spare time she had to making sure that the twins were happy and healthy.

Alicia was lazy. Lazy and self-centered. She had more free time than everyone else combined. She claimed that her job at the diner was so demanding that she couldn’t pitch in around the house, but they all knew she was just being lazy.

Their mother had finally had enough. She had finally reached the point where she was tired of splitting all the chores with her husband and Alana.

Hence, the chore chart.

Alana hadn’t been able to leave the basement without being nagged by one of her sisters since its reappearance. 

Alana bristled as Tracy suddenly leapt off the bookshelf and rubbed herself against Alana’s legs.

“Dinnertime?” Alana asked quietly. She hopped off her bed when Tracy let out an excessively loud meow.

Tracy sniffed the food disdainfully and fixed Alana with her fiercest glare.

“I’m sorry!” Alana cried defensively. “You’re a cat! You have to eat cat food. I got you the good kind. The organic kind. I know it’s not vegetarian, but vegetarian cat food really isn’t good for you.”

Tracy tilted her head at the bowl before finally giving in, just like she did every night. Alana felt bad for her friend. She didn’t blame her for not wanting to eat that stuff. It looked and smelled disgusting. Alana had a feeling it was particularly bad for Tracy, who hadn’t eaten meat since she was twelve.

The fact that Tracy threw a fit about her food every night was yet another reason Alana believed her friend was at least somewhat aware of what was happening.

Of course, Alicia kept saying that didn’t mean anything. Alicia said all cats were divas and Tracy wasn’t an exception.

“Did I tell you I saw your mom the other day?” Alana inhaled sharply as Tracy’s head popped up to stare at her. Okay, so, Tracy definitely understood that question. “She was, um… I saw her when I went to the drugstore. She didn’t speak to me. She wouldn’t even look at me. She still thinks I… You know.”

Tracy let out what Alana took to be a knowing purr. Tracy’s parents were convinced that she had run away. They thought she’d run away and would come home when God told her to. They were surprisingly calm about the whole thing, which was kind of a relief to Alana. A sad relief, but a relief nonetheless. 

They were convinced that Alana knew where she was. Which was true, of course. Alana thought they seemed more upset about the fact that she wouldn’t give them any information about Tracy’s whereabouts than they were about the fact that their daughter was missing in the first place.

Alana rolled her eyes when she heard the twins stampeding across the kitchen floor. She braced herself when she heard one of them smack into the basement door and yell her name.

The twins barely gave her a chance to stand up before they opened the door and peeked down the stairs.

“Alana!” Aliza giggled. “There’s a boy here to see you!”

Alex laughed as he jumped up and down excitedly. “A boy!”

“A boy?” Alana repeated skeptically. She crept forward to look past the twins, but she couldn’t see anyone there.

“Auntie ‘Licia’s talking to him,” Aliza nodded.

Alana hurried up the stairs and followed the twins to the living room. She let out a startled laugh when she saw who it was. “Jared?”

“Yeah, hi,” Jared greeted awkwardly. He looked from Alana to Alicia to the twins before finally staring at his feet. “I, uh, was in the neighborhood and wanted to ask you something.”

The smirk that crossed Alicia’s face was more than a little evil as she looked Jared up and down. “You want to ask her something?”

“Can we, uh…” Jared gestured in the direction Alana had just come from.

“Yeah,” Alana nodded. “My room’s downstairs.”

Alana led the way to the basement. She opened the door for Jared before turning around to scowl at the others. “Don’t you all have something else you could be doing?”

“Not really,” Alicia grinned.

Alana shook her head and closed the door in their faces.

“So, what’s up?” Alana asked as she perched on her bed.

“Is that…” Jared tilted his head to watch as Tracy hopped onto the bed and put her head on Alana’s knee.

“You remember Tracy, don’t you?” Alana asked.

“Yeah,” Jared nodded quickly. “Hi, Tracy.”

Alana didn’t think she was imagining things when she decided that the look on Tracy’s face was just as confused as the one she was sure she was sporting herself.

“Okay, so,” Jared said. He shoved his hands in his pockets while he rocked back on his heels. “I guess you’re wondering why I’m here.”

“Little bit…”

“So, you know how my brother is a vampire, right?”

“Yeah,” Alana said slowly.

“So, I’ve been doing some research on RISE and on… On some other sites I found.”

Alana stared at him while she waited for him to continue. She took a breath and motioned for him to go on when he didn’t.

“Did you know it’s possible to restore a vampire’s soul?”

“What?”

“Yeah, so, vampires don’t have souls. They lose their human souls when they’re turned, but apparently there are spells and curses and I don’t know… There are ways of giving them their souls back.”

Alana swallowed dryly as she studied his face. It didn’t take a genius to guess where this was going. “Jared, that’s really advanced magic. Way beyond anything I’m capable of. I mean… Look at Tracy. I can’t even figure out how to turn her back.”

“But, it’s possible?”

“Yeah, for a competent witch.”

“You are a competent witch,” Jared insisted. “I saw you the night of the rally. You can-”

“I’m not good enough to do something like that. I’m-”

“Can you try?”

“I can give you some numbers. There are some other people who might… I don’t know. I wouldn’t even know where to look for a spell. Most of them are ancient and in other languages. Dead languages. It’s not like… If it were easy, witches everywhere would be giving vampires their souls back. The world would be a much safer place if we could find a simple way to do that.”

“I bet you could,” Jared grinned.

“I-”

“You’re Alana Beck. If anyone can find a way to-”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Alana cut in. “It’s just not-”

“Please, Alana. This is my brother we’re talking about.”

Alana looked down when she heard Tracy let out a soft meow. “You too?”

Tracy jumped up and went over to stand by Jared.

“Have you asked Jamie?” Alana wondered. “She-”

“She’s too busy for something like this.”

“And I’m not?” Alana scoffed. “Do you have any idea how many clubs I’m in? How much work I-”

“She’s too busy trying to keep Zoe alive,” Jared reminded her. 

Alana shut her eyes and leaned back against her bedframe. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Really?”

“No promises,” Alana said quickly. “And, even if I find something, I’m not sure I’m the one who should do it.”

“We can take it to Jamie if you do,” Jared agreed.

“Okay,” Alana nodded. Her eyes narrowed as she stared up at the basement door. “So, was that it or…”

“Yeah,” Jared said uncertainly. “Why?”

“That’s all he wanted!” Alana yelled.

Alana shook her head as she heard her sister stomp away from the door.


	15. Chapter 15

Evan’s phone buzzed as he finally reached for his laptop. He glanced at it quickly and sighed when he saw that Jared was on his way.

So much for that idea then. There was no way he had enough time to post an entry on RISE. Jared would be there in five minutes. Three, if he didn’t get stuck at the light on Elm.

Evan hadn’t written anything in days. He didn’t know what else he could write. How many other ways were there for him to express the fact that he was sad and lonely and oh so very pathetic?

If he hadn’t gotten the vampires’ attention by this point, what were the odds that he would eventually come up with something that would work? 

The others didn’t seem bothered by his lack of progress. Evan knew they were looking for other angles to help them find the vampire army.

It figured. Evan had always wanted to a part of something. To feel like he belonged, like he was making a difference. He had finally been given that opportunity and he was blowing it.

He didn’t know how. He didn’t know why it wasn’t working, but it definitely wasn’t.

Evan picked at his sleeve as he made his way downstairs. He didn’t want to keep Jared waiting. He knew from experience that there was a good chance Jared would pull off without him if he didn’t get in the car immediately.

Part of him still wanted to change his clothes. He’d been debating doing that since he got home from Dr. Sherman’s. He didn’t know what the dress code was that night. He hated how uneasy that made him feel. He’d thought about asking Jared what he was wearing, but he knew he’d never hear the end of it if he did. Jared would never give him a serious answer. He wouldn’t give him a serious answer and he would spend the next few months reminding Evan about his fashion-related panic attack.

Evan’s heart sped up when reached the bottom of the stairs and saw the door handle turn. He knew it was stupid, irrationally stupid, but his first thought was that there was a vampire at the door. A vampire who somehow had a key to his house and did not need an invitation to come in.

He really shouldn’t have been surprised when the door opened and his mother stepped inside.

“Oh,” Heidi laughed when she saw her son leaning against the railing. “Didn’t expect to see you there.”

“I thought you had to work tonight,” Evan blurted out.

“I switched with Heather,” Heidi told him. “I’m taking her shift tomorrow so she can go see her uncle before he leaves town.”

“You got dinner?” Evan felt a lump form in his throat when he noticed the bag in her arms.

“Chinese,” Heidi confirmed. “You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“Um, no,” Evan muttered. “I, uh, I was actually about to leave.”

“Leave? Where are you going?”

“To Connor’s house.”

“Connor?” Heidi’s eyes widened with confusion.

“Yeah, it’s his birthday. I told you that?” The last part came out as a question because it was one. Evan thought he’d told her about Connor’s party. He’d meant to tell her. He’d been planning to tell her, but it was possible he hadn’t. He’d barely seen her all week. It was definitely possible that he hadn’t mentioned it at all.

They regarded each other for a moment. Evan felt like his mind was spinning and he had a feeling his mother was in the same boat. This was new for them. He didn’t know how to proceed. He didn’t know if he was supposed to ask her permission before going out. It was a Friday night, so it wasn’t like it was a school night. But, still… He’d never asked her if he could go somewhere because he’d never had anywhere to go.

“Do you need a ride?” Heidi finally asked. She shifted the bag to her other hip. Evan tried to swallow his guilt as he breathed in the smell of sweet and sour chicken.

“Jared’s picking me up,” Evan answered quickly.

“He is?” Heidi’s posture immediately relaxed at those words. “Oh, well, then-”

“That’s him,” Evan nodded at the window. “Is it okay if I…”

“Yeah, of course,” Heidi nodded. 

Evan smiled weakly as he let himself out. He didn’t look back once as he crossed the lawn to Jared’s car.

 

“So, what’d you get him?” Jared asked as he pulled up to a red light. His eyes lit up as he glanced at the bag by Evan’s feet.

“Oh, uh, a couple books.”

“Books?” Jared laughed. “Really?”

“What’d you get?” Evan snapped.

“A t-shirt. A black t-shirt.” Jared squinted at him curiously. “So, why books?”

“He likes to read,” Evan said defensively.

“Connor Murphy likes to read?” Jared chuckled.

“Yeah,” Evan muttered. “We’re in the same English class and… I don’t know. I went to that used bookstore on Third Street and…”

Evan’s voice trailed off uncertainly. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. He probably should’ve gotten Connor a gift card. That would’ve been simpler and a lot less embarrassing if Connor didn’t like the books he’d chosen. The problem with getting a gift card was that the recipient could tell how much you'd spent on them. And that was definitely something that Evan wanted to avoid.

“I didn’t realize you guys were such good friends,” Jared said stiffly.

“We’re not,” Evan shrugged. “We’re just…”

Evan wasn’t sure what they were. They sat together in class and they texted sometimes and… That was basically it.

“Wow,” Jared’s eyes bulged as he pointed to something up ahead. “So, I’m guessing that’s their house.”

Evan’s stomach did a flip when he saw the number of cars parked outside. “I thought this was a small party.”

“I thought it was a backyard barbecue,” Jared retorted. “That’s what Zoe said.”

“Well, she got the backyard part right,” Evan mumbled. “So, uh, what time do you want to leave?”

“You’re already plotting your escape?” Jared rolled his eyes as he unlocked the car. “Come on. It won’t be that bad…”

 

“Are you hiding?”

Evan jumped when he heard someone creep up behind him. He struggled to calm himself down as he turned around to face Zoe. “Sort of?”

“It’s a little crowded back there, isn’t it?” Zoe smiled knowingly.

“Just a little,” Evan agreed. It had taken him less than an hour to get so overwhelmed by the crowd that he felt the need to start circling the house.

“My mom insisted on inviting our entire extended family and all her friends and my father’s friends and… Connor was pissed when he heard.”

“Oh,” Evan mumbled. He leaned forward to peer into the backyard. Zoe stepped over to do the same. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted something in the distance.

“Do you know who that is?”

“Who?” Evan blinked as he tried to follow her gaze.

“That girl. That blonde girl talking to my mom.”

Evan shook his head when he spotted them by the porch. “I’ve never seen her before.”

“Are you sure? She’s not in your grade, is she?”

“I-I don’t think so,” Evan said uncertainly. “She… She doesn’t look familiar to me.”

“Come on,” Zoe said quickly.

Evan hurried to keep up with her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Hopefully, nothing,” Zoe murmured. “I’ve just… I’ve been getting this feeling all night and that girl…”

Evan turned to watch the girl again. She was tiny but looked like she was about their age. She had long blonde hair that had been twisted back into some kind of fancy braid. She was pretty. Not remarkably so, but pretty nonetheless. She kind of looked like an elf.

“Do you think she’s…” Evan felt himself blush when he realized he was about to ask Zoe if she thought the girl could actually be an elf.

“I don’t know,” Zoe said shakily. “Something’s not right.”

Zoe put an arm up to stop him as they drew closer. She motioned for Evan to get behind her before cautiously moving forward.

“—lovely house,” the girl was saying. “I’d love to take a look inside.”

“Oh, well,” Cynthia’s smile wavered slightly as she looked past the girl. “Perhaps another time. We really weren’t planning to let anyone in tonight.”

“Not even to use the bathroom?” The girl wondered.

“There are porta potties in the back,” Cynthia said swiftly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really must go check on the caterers.”

“Pity,” the girl shook her head sadly. “That would’ve been so handy later on.”

Evan could feel the bile rising in his throat as the girl turned to look at them. She was still wearing her human face, but he knew what she was.

“Slayer,” the girl nodded in greeting. “And you must be the Tree Boy.”

“W-what?” Evan stammered. His heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest. 

“Your avatar on RISE,” the girl smirked. “You are the one with the tree, aren’t you? It’s a pity you were a plant. Pun slightly intended. You would’ve fit in with one of our lower squads. You still can, if you’re interested.”

“Leave him alone,” Zoe hissed. She moved forward so that she was standing directly in front of Evan.

“Oh, relax, would you?” The girl giggled. “I’m not here to fight.” She clucked her tongue disapprovingly when she saw Zoe reach for something in her jacket pocket. “Do you really want to try that in front of all these people?”

“What do you want?” Zoe demanded.

“It’s not what I want. This is what you wanted, wasn’t it? To meet the one responsible for… Well, everything.”

“You?”

“Me,” the girl confirmed. “I’m the… It isn’t official or anything, but I’m basically the queen now. Or president, if you prefer. I like queen better.” 

The girl beamed as she looked behind them. “Ah, here comes the rest of the cavalry.”

Evan instinctively took a step backwards as the others joined them. Bennie and Jamie immediately went to stand by Zoe while Connor, Alana, and Jared hung back by Evan.

“Amy?” Jamie’s voice sounded more than a little hoarse as she choked out the name.

The girl’s face lit up dangerously as she studied Jamie. “Oh my God. Jamie Cooper. Is that really you?”

“You’re a vampire?” Jamie asked.

“And you’re a… A witch? I heard there was a witch matching your description at the rally. I should’ve known. You always were a freak, weren’t you?”

“I-” 

“It’s a shame you’ve lost so much weight. Fat people always have the best-tasting blood,” Amy shook her head sadly. “Of course, you are still borderline enough that-”

Zoe automatically put an arm out to stop her aunt. “What’s your game?”

“Game? This isn’t a game, sweetie. This is war. I had to organize the troops when I heard we had a Slayer in town. It’s only fair. You have an entire council at your disposal. You have witches and…” She wrinkled her nose as she looked at the teenagers in the back. “Whatever they are.”

“I’m just trying to level the playing field,” Amy continued. “Vampires and demons, we’ve always been such solitary creatures. We team up when it suits us, but otherwise… I believe in organization. In making sure everyone and everything is in its proper place. That’s all this is. No more, no less.”

Amy tapped her chin thoughtfully as she stared at Zoe. “Listen, I’ll make you a deal, all right? You stay out of my way, I’ll stay out of yours.”

“That’s not happening,” Zoe snapped.

“I figured as much. Don’t say I didn’t try,” Amy sighed. She looked over her shoulder as she turned on her heel to go. “Oh, one more thing. I wouldn’t try following me out, if I were you. As tempting as it may be to stake me once I’m out of your parents’ sight, I have two dozen vampires stationed all over this neighborhood. They’ve been instructed to strike if something happens to me.”

Amy grinned as she waved at the group. “Toodles…” 

Zoe spun around to face her aunt as soon as Amy disappeared around the corner. “You know her?”

“Amy Beckett,” Jamie nodded. “She made my life a living hell for four years before dying in a so-called boating accident the day after graduation.”

“You’ll have to tell us everything you know about her,” Bennie said softly. 

“I will,” Jamie promised. “Later. After Connor’s party. For now, I’ll just say this, don’t underestimate her. Amy may look like a fairy princess, but, trust me, she’s ruthless. She was a conniving, horrible bitch when she was a human. I can’t even imagine what she’s like as a vampire.”

Silence fell over the group as they let that information sink in. Evan shut his eyes as he tried to focus on his breathing. There was a vampire queen? A vampire queen who knew who he was? That was not good. That was so, so not good. 

Evan tried to comfort himself with the fact that this most likely meant he didn’t have to post on RISE anymore. Somehow that didn’t help him feel much better though.

“Okay,” Zoe finally nodded. Her eyes were steely as she squinted at the group. “Well, at least now we know what we’re up against.” She put a hand on her hip and tilted her head at Bennie. “So, what do we do next?”


	16. Chapter 16

The smell of marijuana hit Connor as soon as he opened his eyes. He bolted up and blinked around in confusion. His window was closed. He hadn’t smoked anything the night before. As much as he’d wanted to, he’d resisted the urge. He knew he couldn’t risk being out of sorts when he woke up. They had too much to do that day. Bennie had ordered the group to meet at his house that morning so they could start working on a plan for dealing with Amy.

The smell was even stronger when Connor's feet hit the floor. He stumbled across the room and tentatively opened his door. He spotted Zoe down the hall and braced himself when he saw the look on her face.

“Don’t you think it’s a little early for that?” Zoe hissed as she stormed over to him. “We’re supposed to be at Bennie’s in an hour.”

“I know,” Connor snapped. “It’s not me.”

“What do you mean it’s not you?” Zoe shook her head skeptically. “Who else…”

She stopped speaking when an explosion of laughter floated up from the living room. Connor met her stare before nodding and following her down.

Zoe started coughing when she reached the living room. She covered her mouth and nose with one hand and turned to raise her eyebrows at her brother.

Connor decided that meant it was up to him to take the lead. He cautiously poked his head into the room and…

He immediately rubbed his eyes. This had to be a dream. A really weird dream brought on by the barbecued okra the caterers had served at his party.

“Mom? Dad?” Connor’s eyes widened as he struggled to understand what he was seeing. His parents were sprawled out on the couch in their pajamas. There were empty beer cans and candy wrappers and bags of chips all over the floor.

They were each clutching a joint. That was the part Connor couldn’t wrap his mind around. That was the part that made him pinch his arm.

It hurt. He wasn’t having an okra-induced nightmare.

“Oh my God,” Zoe moaned into her hand. “That’s not… What’re you doing?”

“Uh oh,” Larry laughed as he struggled to sit up. “Busted.”

“I told you we should’ve gone outside!” Cynthia smacked her husband’s arm. “We’re going to be in so much trouble!”

“You’re going to be in trouble?” Connor repeated slowly. He tilted his head at Zoe and watched as she backed away, muttering under her breath.

“We have to go,” Zoe said, her voice barely above a whisper. “This isn’t… Something’s wrong. Someone’s… Someone’s…”

“Cursed them?” Connor filled in.

“Shh!” Zoe hissed. 

Connor rolled his eyes and gestured at their parents. “They’re not going to remember any of this. Trust me.”

“Oh my God,” Zoe muttered. “Okay. Okay, so we should bring them with us, right? I mean… They could hurt themselves like that.”

“Dad knows what he’s doing,” Connor shook his head in amazement as he watched his father roll another joint.

“We have to get them to Bennie,” Zoe decided. “He’ll know what to do.”

“Do you really think that’s a good-”

“He’ll know what to do!” Zoe shouted frantically.

Connor threw his hands up in surrender. “Okay, fine. We’ll take them to Bennie.”

 

They arrived at Bennie’s house twenty minutes before the meeting was supposed to begin. Connor had thought about mentioning that to Zoe but changed his mind when he saw her expression. It was clear she didn’t care about anything other than their parents just then.

It had been easier than he’d expected to get them into the car. He’d waited for his mother to throw a fit about leaving the house in her pajamas, for his father to put his foot down and demand to know where they were being taken.

All it had taken was a bag of Cheetos and a promise to listen to The Clash to coax them out of the house.

Zoe had driven them because Connor was laughing too hard. He didn’t know why she was freaking out. This was by far the best thing that had happened to them since she’d become the Slayer. 

“Bennie’s not answering,” Zoe moaned as she pounded on the door a third time. She stepped back to peer through his window. 

“Maybe he’s out getting coffee and donuts,” Connor suggested. “You know, carb us up before we start training.”

“His car’s in the driveway,” Zoe pointed out. “He must be in there. What if something’s happened to him too?”

Connor watched as she paced the lawn and squinted up at the house. He automatically reached out to grab his father before he wandered off. “No…”

Larry made a face and plopped down on the bottom step. “This is boring!”

“It’s a beautiful day,” Cynthia sighed. “I wish I had my sketchpad.”

“The bathroom window’s open,” Zoe said hurriedly. “Cover me. I’m going in.”

Connor opened his mouth to ask how he was supposed to do that from the ground, while babysitting their parents, but she was gone before he had the chance. 

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened the first cat video he found. “Here, watch this.”

He nodded to himself as his parents stared at the screen and laughed at the cat’s antics. He glanced over his shoulder once before he ran around to the side of the house. Zoe was already on the roof by the time he got there. He turned to face the street once she was in. He watched as a pair of old ladies walked by, giggling and loudly discussing their new dresses.

Connor’s stomach did a flip when one of them mentioned the sock hop they were going to that night. The fluttering feeling in his stomach increased when he realized it had been almost a minute since he’d heard any laughter out front.

He cursed when he reached the corner and saw that the porch was empty. He quickly scanned the street for his parents, but they weren’t anywhere to be found.

“Bennie’s asleep,” Zoe announced as she stepped out onto the porch.

“He’s asleep?”

“Sound asleep,” Zoe confirmed. 

“He’s alive though?”

“Yeah,” Zoe nodded. “It’s funny. He told me he always gets up at five, even on the weekend.”

“I think this goes beyond our parents and Bennie,” Connor told her.

Zoe nodded stiffly as she joined him on the lawn. “Yeah, I’m starting to get that feeling too. When I was up there, I looked out the window and I saw a 40-year-old man skateboarding down the alley.”

“So, what-”

“Where are our parents?” Zoe cut in.

“Gone.”

“You lost them?”

“They wandered off! They…” Connor clenched his teeth irritably. “They took my phone.”

“They have your phone?” Zoe nodded quickly. “Well, that’s something. Maybe we can track them. Unless… You turned that off, didn’t you?”

Connor didn’t bother answering her. The street was coming to life all around them as people started facing the day. The sound of rap music filled the street as a mini-van drove by them. A mini-van being driven by a grown man who was slouching down in his seat and ignoring the screaming baby behind him.

Across the street, a middle-aged couple alternated between screaming at each other and making out ferociously. 

Connor’s eyes widened as a police car knocked over a mailbox before flooring it and making an extremely illegal U-turn.

Connor caught his sister’s eye and shook his head. “What the fuck is going on today?”


	17. Chapter 17

Jared started laughing as soon as Evan opened the door. “What’s with the face?”

Evan glanced over his shoulder quickly before whispering, “My mom…”

“Is acting like a crazy person?” Jared finished.

“Yeah,” Evan nodded. “How’d you know?”

“That seems to be going around today,” Jared grinned. “Where is she?”

“Kitchen. She’s making brownie sundaes for breakfast.”

“Well, that sounds fun.”

“Not really… She, uh, she hasn’t been shopping recently, so she’s improvising and it’s kind of a mess in there.”

“Still sounds better than my parents. My mom’s holed up in the basement, dressed all in black, crying and writing in her journal. She’s wearing a beret. A beret! I didn’t even know she had a beret… And my dad… You don’t want to know what he’s doing. I wish I didn’t know what he was doing.”

“What?” Evan asked curiously.

“Let’s just say I’m hiring someone to fix the lock on his study as soon as this spell is broken.”

Evan did a double take as he studied Jared’s expression. “So… You’re thinking this is some kind of-”

“Spell, curse, something magical that’s making all the adults act weird. I thought my parents were just… I don’t know. I thought my mom was just having another Henry day and my dad was…” Jared closed his eyes and shuddered. “But, it’s everywhere. You can’t even imagine what I saw on my way here…”

“We should go,” Evan said shakily. “I hope the others have already started working on it.”

“What about your mom?”

“What about her?”

“Shouldn’t you tell her you’re going?”

“I guess,” Evan said uncertainly. He blinked and sighed before leading the way to the kitchen. “Hey, Mom?”

Heidi groaned as she shut the cabinet next to the refrigerator. “Why don’t we have any marshmallows?”

“Um…” Evan started.

“What’s a sundae without marshmallows? It’s just a… Oh! Jared’s here!”

“Hi, Mrs. Hansen!” Jared couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he waved at her.

“Heidi, please. Mrs. Hansen makes me sound so…” Heidi’s face scrunched up as she opened another cabinet. “Do we have any gummy bears? I could’ve sworn I had some in here somewhere.”

“Uh, Mom, so Jared and I are going to head out. We’re-”

“Where are we going?” Heidi asked excitedly.

“We?” Evan coughed.

“Oh, no, not you too!” Heidi moaned. “First, Maggie, now you. What’s going on today? Is it my hair? Or my… Did I do something wrong?”

“What?” 

“Maggie’s not returning my calls. And now you-”

“You want to come with us?” Evan asked slowly. “Don’t you have to work today?”

“Pfft,” Heidi scoffed. “I called out.”

“You-”

“It’s a Saturday! Why should I have to work on a Saturday? How is that fair?”

“But, the hospital-”

“Oh, come on,” Heidi whined. “Give me a break, okay? Can’t I take a day off without it being a thing?”

Evan breathed in quickly and stared at his feet. “Why don’t you, uh, why don’t you try Maggie again? Maybe-”

“I should try Maggie again,” Heidi decided. “I’ll tell her I’m spending the day with my son. Because I have a son and she doesn’t! Who cares what she’s doing, right? Who cares if they’re all hanging out without-” Heidi stopped speaking abruptly as her phone began to ring. “Shh! It’s Maggie!”

Jared fought the urge to laugh as he watched Evan lean back against the counter. “You okay?”

Evan stared at his mother while she shrieked into her phone. “This is-”

“Maggie got us a gig!” Heidi dropped her phone on the counter and clapped her hands excitedly.

“A gig?” Evan repeated.

“She got our band a gig!”

“Your… What?” 

“I have to go,” Heidi said quickly. “We have to practice. It’s tonight. You’ll come, won’t you?”

“To your-your gig?” Evan stammered.

“We wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Jared assured her.

“I’ll text you the details,” Heidi beamed. She hastily grabbed her purse off the counter and ran out of the room.

Jared finally released his laughter when he heard the front door slam shut behind her. He shook his head as Evan gawked at the mess his mother had left behind. “You want me to help you clean this up before we go?”

“Yes, please,” Evan mumbled.

“I’ll grab the broom,” Jared grinned.


	18. Chapter 18

Alana narrowed her eyes as she walked into the living room. It wasn’t unusual for her to wake up to a house filled with noise and chaos, just not like this. She wouldn’t have thought twice about it if she’d walked in on her sisters or the twins acting up, but her parents…

“Girl, you won’t believe what-” Mrs. Beck covered the phone with her hand and glared at her daughter. “What’re you staring at? Mind your own business!”

Alana blinked and stepped away from her mother.

“Nothing… Just my daughter. I swear, there’s no privacy in this house!”

“Dad?” Alana cautiously knelt down next to her father. He was sitting on the floor with a blanket draped across his shoulders while he frantically clicked around on his laptop.

“This is amazing!” Mr. Beck exclaimed. “The things you can find on here… Look at this! They have a blue one. They only made three of those. This is-”

Alana felt dizzy when she looked at the screen. “Dad! That costs five thousand dollars!”

“It’s worth every penny,” Mr. Beck grinned as he studied the dragon figurine. “It’s a collector’s item.”

“Dad… You can’t seriously be thinking of-”

“Where’s my credit card?” Mr. Beck frowned as he felt around his pockets. “Can you go get my wallet? It must be upstairs. I better hurry up and put this in my cart before someone else gets it.”

“No! Dad-”

“Fine,” Mr. Beck sighed. “I’ll get it myself.”

“What? No!” Alana’s mouth opened and closed as her father stumbled towards the stairs. He barely managed to avoid running into Alice and her kids when he passed them on the landing.

“We’re going to breakfast,” Alice announced.

“You’re…” Alana bit her lip as she hurried over to her sister. Alice was usually the last person she went to when something was wrong, but desperate times… “Wait a second!”

“What?” Alice demanded.

“Have you noticed anything odd-”

“About our parents?” Alice snapped. “Yeah. Mom nearly bit Aliza’s head off when she tried to eat her chocolate.”

“She did?” Alana glanced over her shoulder quickly. Their mother was lying on the couch with...

A pile of candy wrappers by her feet.

“So, now I have to take my kids out for pancakes to make up for the fact that-”

“Something’s wrong here,” Alana hissed. 

“No kidding,” Alice laughed. “Mom must be dealing with some major hormones today.”

“That’s not what I-”

“Mommy!” Alex whined. 

Alice patiently patted her son on the head before rolling her eyes at Alana. “You want to come with us? Who knows what else Mom has called dibs on?”

Alana let out a startled cough when she saw her mother give Alice the middle finger. 

“No,” Alana decided. “I think I better-”

“Suit yourself,” Alice shrugged. “Come on, guys…”

Alana pulled her phone out as soon as her sister was gone. She sighed when she saw the time. Alan’s shift in the dining hall wouldn’t be over for at least another hour. She quickly texted her brother to call her as soon as he was done.

“I’m going out,” Mrs. Beck suddenly announced. 

Alana didn’t bother asking where she was going. She simply stepped to the side to let her mother pass.

She crossed the room and started picking up the candy wrappers her mother had left behind. She couldn’t believe how much chocolate her mother had eaten that morning. She knew it had all been consumed that morning because she’d only brought the candies home the night before and her mother had a strict policy about not eating sweets after dark.

Alana gasped when she saw the back of the wrapper. More specifically, when she saw a symbol on the back of the wrapper. 

She knew that symbol. She knew…

“Hey, Dad?” Alana yelled up the stairs. “I’m going to Bennie’s. I’ll be back…”

Alana’s voice trailed off as her eyes landed on their wireless router. She ran across the room and unplugged it.

She stared at it for a moment before deciding to play it safe and take the cables with her.


	19. Chapter 19

Zoe tapped her fingers on the counter while she listened to the chatter around her. She tilted her head to the side to glare at her brother and Jared. “Okay, that’s enough of that.”

“What?” Jared chuckled. “This is hilarious. You have to realize it’s-”

“So, let’s go over this again,” Zoe cut in sharply. She redirected her gaze towards Alana and nodded at the notebook in front of her. “What do we know?”

“This is a spell, obviously,” Alana started.

“Obviously,” Zoe concurred.

“It looks like it’s the work of the Westport coven,” Alana continued. “Their emblem is on all the candies I took home yesterday.”

“And the Westport coven is bad?” Zoe wondered.

“Wait, so there are evil witches out there too?” Jared moaned.

“Not all wizards are good. Some of them go bad,” Evan muttered. His cheeks turned red when he realized the others were looking at him.

“Harry Potter?” Connor grinned.

Evan glanced up long enough to nod silently.

“They’re not bad, exactly,” Alana said hesitantly. “They’re just… greedy, I guess. They’ll work for anyone who will pay them.”

“So, this-” Zoe started.

“They would never do this kind of thing on their own,” Alana said. “Someone hired them to make the candies.”

“This is bad. Those candies are everywhere,” Zoe sighed. “My mom’s in the PTA and she said this was the biggest fundraiser our school has ever had.”

“Yeah, because we’re trying to rebuild our gym,” Jared smirked. His grin quickly faded as both Murphy siblings turned to glare at him.

“My mom said they were giving them out at the hospital,” Evan chimed in. “She said they ordered a ton of them and were giving them out yesterday.”

“They’re selling them in stores,” Alana added. “They were taking orders when I went to the drugstore last week.”

“So, they’ve managed to spread them all over town and they seem to be targeting adults,” Zoe said slowly. “They’re making them…”

Her voice trailed off as she glanced around the room. Bennie was sitting on the couch with his guitar and a booklet of sheet music. He’d rolled out of bed a half hour before, poured a disgusting amount of dry cereal into his mouth, and gotten straight to work on his latest composition. Nothing any of them had said had fazed him at all. It was clear he only had one thing on his mind and that thing was not solving their latest crisis. 

Jamie was curled up on the chair across from him. She’d wandered in shortly after Bennie woke up. She’d wandered in without saying a word to any of them. Without even bothering to look up. She’d simply plopped down on the chair and started reading.

Zoe’s face scrunched up when she noticed her brother’s expression. “What?”

Connor nodded at Jamie. “She’s eating her hair.”

“So?” Zoe shrugged. Of all the things she’d witnessed that morning, the fact that her aunt was chewing on her hair was the least of her concerns.

“She used to do that when she was in high school,” Connor said.

“Okay… So?”

“Last Christmas, she sat with me after Uncle Kevin-” 

Zoe inhaled sharply when her brother cut himself off. She didn’t know what their uncle had said, but she could imagine. She could imagine why Connor didn’t want to say it out loud while the others were there. 

Connor stared at his hands while they twitched around in front of him. “She started going on about how she was an outcast when she was in school. About how she didn’t have any friends and would…” 

Zoe’s eyes widened as she followed his stare. “Sit in the corner, reading and eating her hair?”

“Exactly,” Connor said.

“Is that possible?” Zoe asked Alana. “Is there a spell that can make people act like teenagers?”

“Definitely,” Alana nodded. “I mean, I don’t know one like that, but there are all kinds of spells out there... The good news is that this kind of spell usually wears off on its own. Things should go back to normal once the chocolate’s out of their systems.”

“And the bad news?” Zoe asked tensely.

Alana raised her eyebrows as she glanced at the others. “Why would someone want all the adults in town to act like teenagers? Exactly what purpose is this serving?”

Silence and a sense of dread fell over the group as they all considered the answer to that question.


	20. Chapter 20

Evan rocked back on his heels while he stared at his phone. He took a breath and tried to find the right way to word his question.

“What?” Connor demanded.

Evan flinched at Connor’s tone. He’d been hoping to have another minute to compose his thoughts, but Connor had taken that away. “Uh, yeah, so remind me again, how exactly is this, uh, helping?”

Connor’s eyes narrowed as he studied Evan’s phone. “Is this you asking or Zoe?”

“Me?” Evan swallowed anxiously when he realized how uncertain he sounded.

They’d been wandering around town for nearly two hours. Zoe had decided that they should split up to try find the Westport coven’s home base. Evan had ended up on Connor’s team because Zoe refused to go with her brother and Jared… Evan knew it would be a mistake to send Connor and Jared off on their own.

Alana had gone home to talk to her brother and see if there were any members of her coven who hadn’t been affected by the spell. Jared and Zoe were checking the industrial sector while Connor and Evan made their way through the heart of Stormyvale.

While they theoretically made their way through the heart of Stormyvale.

Because apparently Connor had other ideas about where they should look. They had been all over town, but none of their stops had been on the list Zoe had given them.

Evan wasn’t sure what Connor was hoping to find, but it was becoming clear he wasn’t interested in locating the Westport coven.

“We’re not going to find them downtown,” Connor pointed out. 

“Yeah… Probably not,” Evan agreed. “Then, what-”

“I’m trying to find my dad,” Connor admitted.

“Oh,” Evan blinked. “Uh…”

“He’s… He’s a teenager today.”

“Yeah,” Evan nodded.

“So, how many chances will I get to…”

Evan looked up quickly when Connor stopped talking. “Do you want to call him?”

“What?”

“He has your phone, right?” Evan held his phone out to Connor. “Here. Use mine. You can, uh, call and see where-”

Evan’s arm dropped back to his side as Connor suddenly moved past him. He hurried to keep up as Connor ran up the stairs to the library. “What’s-”

“I know that guy,” Connor hissed.

‘What?”

“How do I know him? He…” Connor’s eyes flashed as he spun around to face Evan. “Call Zoe. Tell her to meet us here.”

“Wh-why?”

“Because I know how to find the Westport coven.” Connor rolled his eyes at Evan’s expression. “There was a guy back there. He’s been wandering around the parking lot since we got here, but he doesn’t look dazed or… I couldn’t place him at first, but I just realized how I know him. He came to my house for Thanksgiving last year. He used to date my aunt Jamie.”

“So-”

“Jamie lived in Westport before she moved back here,” Connor explained. “Make the call.”


	21. Chapter 21

Connor was not in a good mood. He wasn’t in a bad mood, exactly, but he was getting tired of feeling like everything he did was wrong.

He knew that was an exaggeration and that Zoe was the only one looking at things that way. He hated the fact that that bothered him. Life had been so much simpler when he hadn’t cared what his sister thought.

He knew he hadn’t really done anything wrong. He also knew that he was not responsible for Zoe’s mood. She was just stressed out. She’d never had to deal with something like this on her own, without Bennie telling her what to do. 

It wasn’t his fault that Bennie was more interested in writing songs than being her Watcher. It also wasn’t his fault their parents had wandered off. No matter what Zoe said, he was taking this seriously, even if he did find the whole thing kind of hilarious.

And he was absolutely right about Jamie’s ex-boyfriend. He knew he’d seen… The guy. Whatever his name was. Connor sucked at names.

He knew the face though. He’d remembered the face. He didn’t know how, but he had.

It wasn’t his fault the guy managed to vanish before Zoe got there. It wasn’t his fault Zoe felt like he’d wasted her time. It wasn’t like she’d been making any progress in the industrial sector. At least he’d found a lead.

Of course, his lead was now a dead end since they didn’t know where the guy had gone. Or what he was planning. Or anything at all really.

Connor had a feeling they’d all still be at the library, listening to Zoe scream at him, watching as he lost it and screamed back, if Evan hadn’t gotten a text from his mother telling him to come to the Battle of the Bands.

Because that wasn’t suspicious at all. The fact that someone had very quickly thrown a concert event together was definitely cause for alarm.

The fact that it was being held in the center of town was enough to make Zoe decide that was where they needed to be. 

They’d split up again once they got there. They’d split up and started wandering through the crowd in search of anything strange. Stranger than a mob of adults acting like high schoolers.

So far, that was all they’d seen. Adults crowd-surfing. Dancing provocatively. Throwing their underwear at the stage. Connor didn’t know how he was supposed to take his teachers seriously on Monday.

He still hadn’t found his father. He’d spotted his mother sitting in the back with a group of her friends. It had taken him a moment to recognize her. There was so much make-up plastered on her face that she looked like a doll. She’d done something with her hair. Curled it or permed it or whatever the term was. She was wearing some kind of glittery top and a skirt that he knew she would never have allowed Zoe to leave the house in. Connor knew for a fact that she had not owned that outfit before the spell. He didn’t think he wanted to know how she’d obtained it.

Connor leaned over the railing to watch as the next group took the stage. He heard a gasp behind him and turned around to watch Evan stagger forward. He studied Evan’s expression for a moment before laughing.

“So, which one is she?”

“What?” 

“Which one’s your mom?” Connor grinned.

Evan continued to blink rapidly as the group started to play. “The one on the left.”

“The drummer?”

“Yeah,” Evan nodded. “That’s my mom. The singer’s her friend Maggie and the guitarist in the middle is Erica. I don’t know the other two.”

“They’re not bad,” Connor said lightly.

“I-I guess,” Evan muttered. “I didn’t know she could play the drums.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t know my dad used to be a stoner.”

Evan let out a sound that came out as a cross between a cough and a chuckle. “You win.”

Connor looked at Evan quickly as a group of men pushed their way up to the stage. “I hope your dad isn’t the jealous type.”

“What?”

“They have groupies.”

“Oh,” Evan nodded numbly. “Yeah. That really won’t be a problem. For us, I mean. Erica’s husband looks kind of, uh…”

Connor laughed when he spotted an angry-looking man in the middle of the throng.

“So, your dad-”

“Is in Colorado,” Evan filled in.

“Why? Is he on a business trip?”

Connor felt his stomach drop when he saw Evan’s face. A stream of curse words echoed through his head as he realized that he had somehow managed to say the wrong thing. The exact wrong thing, from the looks of it. 

“He, uh,” Evan’s cheeks puffed out before he exhaled. “He lives there.”

“Oh,” Connor mumbled. “Sorry.”

Evan’s head tilted to the side as he looked at Connor. “It’s not your fault...”

“No, but-”

“Isn’t that your dad?”

Connor leaned forward to see what Evan was looking at. It only took him a second to locate his father. He was loitering in the back of the crowd with a couple other guys. Connor blinked as he realized that he didn’t recognize any of them. They didn’t look at all like the stuffy lawyers who usually came by to see his father.

“Go ahead,” Evan offered. He smiled weakly as he nodded at the stairs.

“You sure?”

“I think I can, uh, manage things up here,” Evan assured him. 

Connor nodded briskly before maneuvering his way through the crowd. He was halfway down the stairs when it dawned on him that he had no idea what he wanted to say to his father. It was weird. He’d been wanting this opportunity for hours, ever since they’d figured out what the curse was all about.

He didn’t know what he wanted to say though. He didn’t even know what he wanted to hear. That he reminded his father of himself when he was younger? That they had some of the same flaws? That there was a part of his father that didn’t think he was a total screwup?

He paused when he got to the pit. He paused and changed his course. Maybe it was best just to leave this alone. To let himself fill in the blanks without actually confirming anything.

He’d called his father a stoner, but he wasn’t convinced that was the truth. His father had probably been one of those guys who only got high at parties and concerts. Who got high with his friends. Because they thought it was cool. 

Not because he desperately needed to escape, to get out of his head for a while.

Connor took a breath and nodded to himself. He looked up and watched as Evan continued to scan the balcony. Part of him wanted to take a break, to go off by himself for a bit. He wasn’t used to spending this much time with other people. He normally found it exhausting and infuriating. He was surprised when he realized he wasn’t feeling either of those things. In a weird way, being around Evan was kind of like being by himself. 

Evan wasn’t as demanding as other people. He didn’t feel the need to talk all the time. He didn’t act like he was judging everything Connor did. He was clearly baffled by some of Connor’s words and actions, but not in a bad way. He just seemed puzzled, like he was trying to understand Connor’s logic.

Which was probably fair. Connor often had to stop and try to understand his own logic.

Connor spun around when he heard people shouting somewhere to his right. He felt a quick thrill of vindication when he saw what was unfolding by the refreshment stand. 

He pushed his way through the crowd until he reached Zoe’s side. Jared was hovering behind her, staring at the adults scuffling in front of them.

“-my sister!” Cynthia screamed as she grabbed the man’s collar.

The man chuckled awkwardly as he struggled to break free. “Hey! Watch it!”

“Is this who you were looking for?” Zoe hissed.

Connor barely had time to nod before Zoe lunged forward and pulled the man away from their mother.

The man looked relieved for a moment before he realized he’d gone from the frying pan into the fire. His shoulders sagged as he decided it would be pointless to try to get away from Zoe.

“Who are you?” Zoe demanded.

“He’s the man who broke my sister’s heart!” Cynthia growled.

“Why do you care?” Jamie yelped from her spot by the condiments. “You don’t care about anything I do!”

“Of course, I do!” 

“You so do not!” Jamie flinched as she pulled a strand of hair out of her mouth. “But, seriously, what’re you doing here, Louis? I thought I told you-”

“You used to say I was immature,” Louis spat. “Well, look around, sweetheart, because-”

“How can you say I don’t care?” Cynthia cried. “All I do is-”

“You hate me!” Jamie insisted. “You’ve always hated me! You-”

Connor felt dizzy as he watched the two of them go at each other. He knew his mother didn’t have a great relationship with her sister, but he’d never actually seen them fight before.

Zoe tightened her hold on Louis and nodded at Connor. “Come on.” She elbowed Jared as they went by him. “Do me a favor and make sure they don’t kill each other, okay?”

Connor followed his sister around the stand to a secluded area by the water fountain. Zoe immediately pinned Louis against the wall and narrowed her eyes at him. “Talk.”

“About what?” Louis laughed.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Zoe sneered. “Who hired you? Why did they hire you? What-”

“She said you’d have questions,” Louis grinned.

“Who?”

“The vampire queen.”

Zoe took a breath and met Connor's stare. "Amy? She’s behind this?”

“This was a trial run,” Louis said. “She’s trying out different groups to see which ones meet her needs.”

Zoe loosened her grip and took a step back. “This was a test? For you?”

Louis nodded and hummed his answer. “She said to give you this when you caught up to me.” He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and waved it in front of them.

Zoe gingerly accepted the envelope but refrained from opening it.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Louis smirked. “I didn’t come here with the intention of being a messenger. I really only came to this town to watch my ex act like a teenager.”

Zoe waited until he was gone before tearing into the envelope. She shook her head as she handed it to Connor. 

He blinked as he read the message. It only contained three words, but he had a feeling they were significant ones. Ones that would motivate Bennie to develop a plan when he regained his senses. Ones that would explain whatever trouble came their way. 

_Because I can._


	22. Chapter 22

Zoe had no idea what to expect when she got up on Sunday morning. It was an unsettling feeling, one that she did not care for at all.

Her room looked the same when she opened her eyes. That wasn’t really a surprise though. She’d barely slept that night. They hadn’t gotten home until almost three. She’d been exhausted, but she’d only managed to drift off a couple times. Her mind had refused to slow down enough for her to fall into a deep sleep. She’d spent the majority of the night obsessively checking her phone and all the local newsfeeds to make sure she wasn’t missing something.

She kept waiting for a frantic text to pop up or a dire headline to appear. Nothing had happened though. As far as she could tell, the curse had just been a curse. Just a thing that caused a bit of mayhem. That really was all there was to it.

Zoe rolled her eyes as she refreshed the homepage for _The Stormyvale Times._ There was a new article stating that local authorities had announced they were recalling the chocolates that had been sold for the high school’s fundraiser. There was a quote from a doctor claiming that the candies contained an ingredient known to cause hallucinations.

Articles like that one always made her want to dig through the paper’s archives and try to read between the lines. Growing up, how many times had she heard about gas leaks and gangs and rabid raccoons? It was amazing what people were willing to believe in order to keep from seeing what was really happening.

Zoe shut her laptop and yawned before crawling out of bed. The house was quiet. Her parents’ door was still shut when she stumbled out into the hallway. She could faintly hear the sound of her father snoring. 

She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised they were still asleep. They’d had a busy day and a crazy night. The concert had still been going when Zoe finally decided to leave. She’d wanted to drag her parents home, but they’d refused to go and she’d been too tired to argue. 

Zoe did a double take when she reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Bennie sitting in the living room, checking his phone and drinking a cup of tea. 

“What’re you doing here?” Zoe hissed. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. This had to be against the rules. It was a good thing her parents were still in bed. How was she supposed to explain the fact that her band teacher had spent the night on their loveseat?

“Jamie insisted I come with her,” Bennie explained. He nodded at the sleeping figure on the couch. “Because your mother refused to leave the concert without her sister.”

“Oh,” Zoe nodded. “So-”

“I’m feeling much better, by the way. Thank you for asking.”

Zoe made a face and crossed her arms over her chest. “How much do you remember?”

“All of it,” Bennie said. 

“All of it?”

“Yes,” Bennie smiled knowingly. “So, if your parents claim they don’t remember-”

“They’re fooling themselves,” Zoe finished. “Or me… or both.”

“Most people find it easier to try to forget these things. To pretend they never happened.”

“I know,” Zoe sighed. 

Bennie glanced at her as he sipped his tea. “I think I owe you an apology.”

“For what?”

“For yesterday. For-”

“You were cursed,” Zoe shrugged.

“I know, but… You must be wondering about the things I said.”

Zoe looked away quickly. She hadn’t really been shocked by anything he’d said. He’d made a joke once about how he had only been assigned to be her Watcher because of his musical skills. Because the Council knew she liked music and thought it would be easy for him to slip into her life. 

At least, she’d taken it as a joke at the time. She wasn’t so sure now. He’d spent the entire day avoiding all things supernatural. At least Jamie had attempted to help them with their research, even if she did get sidetracked. She’d ended up spending the majority of the afternoon mumbling about Amy and trying to figure out the most painful way to kill a vampire.

Bennie though… He’d refused to put his guitar down the whole day. He kept going on about how he was going to make it big. How his songs were going to win awards and get a ton of airplay. Every time Zoe tried to ask him a question, he told her to call his father or his sister. The real Watchers, he’d called them. 

She knew he hadn’t been himself. His current self, that was. She understood the fact that he’d grown up and he took his duties seriously now and… It had been a bit unnerving to realize that the person who was supposed to be helping her had once despised everything about his job though.

Which was his right, she supposed. Because it was just a job for him. 

Zoe glanced out the window and watched as a pair of middle-aged women, who were very clearly hungover, staggered down the sidewalk.

“It’s fine,” Zoe shrugged. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

Zoe frowned as she heard someone clattering around the kitchen. She hadn’t checked Connor’s room before heading downstairs, but it was too early for her brother to be up.

“I’m going to…” Zoe gestured in the direction of the kitchen before creeping across the hall. She cautiously opened the door and blinked when she saw they had company.

Connor was sitting at the kitchen table with Evan, Jared, and Alana. They each had a textbook and a plate of food in front of them. 

“Good morning,” Alana chirped when she saw Zoe standing in the doorway. “There are bagels and pastries on the counter if you’re hungry. I stopped by my uncle’s diner on my way here.”

“What’s going on?” Zoe asked curiously as she helped herself to a Danish. 

“We have a science test tomorrow,” Connor replied.

Zoe raised her eyebrows but refrained from commenting. She didn’t know what was weirder – the fact that Connor was actually studying for a test or the fact that he was studying with other people.

“Are your parents still asleep?” Alana wondered.

“Yeah,” Zoe nodded. “I have a feeling we won’t be hearing from them for a while.”

“My dad’s seriously pissed off,” Alana told them. “He’s mad I didn’t take his phone away before I left the house. He’s been online all morning, trying to cancel a bunch of purchases he made. My mom’s spending the day with the twins because she’s afraid she traumatized them yesterday.”

“I think my mom downed a gallon of coffee before going to work this morning,” Evan said. “She didn’t really say much, but… I don’t know. I think she’s confused. She kept saying she’d never heard of, uh… whatever it’s called. She said she’s never heard of that causing hallucinations.”

“It looks like we weren’t the only ones who had a crazy night,” Jared remarked. He waved his phone so the others could see his news feed. “Sophie Ventura had a party last night and...”

Zoe couldn’t help zoning out as he continued to prattle on about their classmates’ antics. Six months ago, she would’ve been dying to hear who got drunk and made out with their ex. Now, she found it almost impossible to care. It was funny how being semi-dumped by her friends and going off social media had changed how she saw the world.

“Aren’t you friends with her, Zoe?”

Zoe blinked as she turned to face Alana. “Huh?”

“Nicole Walters. Aren’t you friends with her?”

“Yeah,” Zoe said slowly. “Why?”

“Because there’s a video of her falling down the stairs,” Jared laughed. He rolled his eyes when Alana elbowed him. “What? It doesn’t look like she got hurt. Not seriously, anyway.”

Zoe grabbed the phone out of Jared’s hand and replayed the video. It was odd to see Nicole stumbling around like that. She was usually extremely careful when she was drunk. Careful to the point of being obnoxious about it. 

“There, look,” she paused the video and showed the others. “She didn’t trip.”

“What?” Connor frowned as he leaned forward to study the screen.

“The way her body shifts there…” Zoe bit her lip as Nicole toppled forward. She rewound the video and nodded as she watched Nicole’s movements again. “She didn’t fall on her own. She was pushed.”

“But, no one’s near her,” Jared pointed out.

Zoe sighed as she glanced in the direction of the living room. “Yeah… I know.”


	23. Chapter 23

“Okay, what else have we heard?” Zoe asked. She waved the marker at the board while she studied their list.

“I heard that the lights kept turning off and on during Mr. Jefferson’s fourth period Spanish class,” Alana said. “And there were frog guts flying around the Bio lab this morning. Jasmine told me it looked like someone was throwing them at people. She said Ms. Leeks claimed the motor for her room’s A/C unit was acting up again.”

“Quentin Robins swears he almost broke his finger when his locker suddenly slammed shut,” Jared added. 

“That could be because Quentin Robins is a spaz,” Connor pointed out.

“True, but he also said he heard someone laughing at him when he screamed.” Jared grinned as he started humming the _Ghostbusters_ theme song again.

“Do I have to say it again?” Bennie called from his spot in the back of the band room. “We are not dealing with a ghost here.”

“You sure?” Jared asked. “Because the blood dripping from the school seal felt ghost-like to me.”

“It wasn’t blood,” Alana told him. “It was paint.”

“Paint?” Jared’s face scrunched up at the thought. “Okay, slightly less ghost-like then.”

“Nothing that any of you have described sounds like typical ghost behavior,” Bennie said. 

“What are we dealing with then?” Zoe demanded. 

Bennie picked his book up and crossed the room to stand in front of them. “If I had to venture a guess, I’d say we have an invisible student in our midst.”

“An invisible student?” Zoe repeated. “So, you mean someone’s been cursed or-”

“Not quite,” Bennie shook his head. “It’s supernatural in nature, but it’s… It’s something that’s become relatively common, actually. Especially among teenagers. Especially among teenagers who live on a magical hotspot like our Hellmouth.”

“What are you talking about?” Zoe asked.

“It happens when someone feels invisible. When he or she feels truly, completely invisible. The feeling becomes so strong that the person in question actually makes himself invisible.”

Evan swallowed uncomfortably and stared down at the notebook in his lap. He knew it was probably his imagination, but he felt like Bennie had been looking right at him when he said that last part.

“So, um,” Evan started shakily. His throat felt dry, probably because he hadn’t said a word since lunch began. “How do we… How do we fix it?”

“It often fixes itself,” Bennie explained. “The person comes to their senses, so to speak. They realize that they’re not invisible, that others can see them. It’s usually a temporary condition.”

Evan nodded swiftly and dropped his gaze. His heart began to pound as he thought about the time – times – when he’d felt that way. Times when he’d looked down and been convinced that he wasn’t really there. Times when he couldn’t see himself at all.

He’d always convinced himself that it was just his anxiety flaring up when that happened. That it was all in his head, but…

Had he actually turned himself invisible? He wasn’t sure. There had never been anyone he could ask. Not that he would’ve asked someone if he could. How would that even work? 

There had been moments though, so many moments, where he was sure he’d disappeared. How many times had he slipped out of class without being stopped, without being acknowledged, because they were working in teams and he didn’t have anyone to partner with? How many times had he hovered on the outskirts of a group without anyone noticing he was there? How many times had he felt so totally, completely alone that he’d been convinced no one would care if he dropped off the face of the planet?

He could see what Bennie meant about it being temporary though. The feeling always passed. Eventually. Sort of. 

It never disappeared completely.

“So, we’re talking about someone who’s done this to himself?" Jared scoffed. “That’s lame.”

“Hey, watch it,” Alana snapped. “It’s not lame.”

“I’m just saying-”

“I’ve been there,” Alana said coldly. 

“You’ve been invisible?” 

Alana nodded stiffly. “Several times. Just for a minute or two, I think, but… I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

“How did you snap yourself out of it?” Zoe wondered.

“I don’t know,” Alana shrugged. “The only time I really remember was when I was at home and my dad noticed right away. He wouldn’t stop talking to me until I… You know.”

“Okay,” Zoe nodded. “So, what do we do then? Find the student and make them feel like we see them?” 

“What if they don’t want to be seen?” Connor tilted his head when his sister turned to squint at him. “Not everyone does… Maybe this is someone who’s seeking revenge.”

“Am I going to have to fight an invisible person?” Zoe sighed. “Because that’s really not fair.”

“We’ll have to find them first,” Jared reminded her. “How do we do that?”

Evan fiddled with his bag while he listened to the others brainstorm. Jared insisted that they needed to check the locker rooms, for obvious reasons. Alana thought they should start interviewing their classmates to find out what people knew. Zoe started debating the pros and cons of carrying a bottle of paint with her so she could squeeze it whenever she thought there was something invisible nearby.

“What do you think?”

Evan started when he realized Connor had directed the question at him. 

He didn’t know what he thought. He didn’t even know what he would do if he knew he’d become invisible. 

He’d probably try to use it to his advantage. 

He’d spy on people. That sounded creepy, but he knew it was true. He’d observe his classmates and try to learn things that would make it easier for him to talk to them. 

Things that he would never actually be able to bring himself to use, but he’d try.

He’d plan to try.

“I think it depends on the person,” Evan said slowly. “I think we need to, uh, figure out who it is and then we can decide how to handle the, uh, situation.”

“So, interviews?” Alana grinned.

“Interviews,” Zoe agreed. “That’s a start, I guess.”

Alana tore a piece of paper out of her notebook and started compiling a list of questions they should ask their classmates. Evan’s heart began to pound again when he realized that she assumed they were all going to be conducting the interviews. 

“We should probably read up on invisibility,” Connor suggested. “Evan and I can go to the library and check Jamie’s books after school.”

Evan tried not to look too relieved when Zoe nodded absentmindedly. He gave Connor a quick, grateful smile as Bennie recommended that they try to think about the invisible person’s motives.

“Okay, let’s look at who they’ve gone after so far,” Jared said. “Quentin-”

“Is dumb, but harmless,” Alana filled in. “Nicole, uh-”

“Has her share of enemies,” Zoe finished. “She’s never been friends with Quentin, so there isn’t anything connecting them though… That I know of, at least.”

“And the rest of it hasn’t been aimed at anyone in particular,” Alana continued. “It’s just been… They’ve been the acts of someone who wants to disrupt things. Who obviously doesn’t like our school.”

“That could be anyone,” Jared laughed. “What? You know it’s true…”

“So, what now?” Zoe asked Bennie. “We just wait and see what happens next?”

Bennie nodded slightly as he stared out the window. “Judging from what they've done so far, I have a feeling we won’t have to wait very long though.”


	24. Chapter 24

Alana rubbed her forehead as she fixed her sisters with her sternest glare.

They didn’t notice. Of course, they didn’t notice. She hadn’t actually expected them to realize they were annoying her. They were too busy sitting on the stairs and gossiping while they waited for Alice’s clothes to finish drying.

Because the fact that they were doing laundry gave them the right to invade Alana’s room. In their minds, it absolutely did.

“Am I in the wrong here?” Alicia moaned.

“Yes,” Alana muttered under her breath. She put her head down when her sisters turned to face her.

“He’s an a-hole,” Alice sighed. She looked over her shoulder quickly before bumping Alicia’s arm with her own. “Did you ask her?”

“Yes,” Alicia scoffed. “She said no.”

“Really?” Alice said slowly. She stood up and crossed the room so that she was standing in front of Alana. “You won’t help Alicia with her problem?”

“It’s not a real problem,” Alana said without looking up.

“Ray cheated on her!” Alice exclaimed. 

“She cheated first,” Alana retorted.

“I did not!” Alicia yelped. “I… It wasn’t cheating.”

“It wasn’t,” Alice agreed.

Alana looked up long enough to roll her eyes at her sisters. “I’m not casting a love spell on Ray!” Her nose wrinkled as she flipped to the next page in her notepad. “Why would you want me to anyway? Weren’t you just saying you wouldn’t take him back, even if he got on his hands and knees and begged?”

“I want him to fall for me so that I can crush him, like he crushed me,” Alicia explained.

Alice nodded eagerly. “That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? It’s not like my… I may have been a little out of line when I asked you to put a curse on Tom’s dick.”

“A little?” Alana laughed.

“Alicia has a plan though and it’ll teach Ray a lesson!”

“I’m still not doing it,” Alana maintained. She refused to look up from her notes until Alice went back to Alicia. 

“Come on,” Alice sniffed. “Is his Twitter password still saved on your laptop? We can mess with that.”

Alana’s shoulders shook as her sisters ran up the stairs, giggling and debating what they should tweet. She couldn’t help wondering if she’d made the wrong call. Not because she wanted to cast a love spell on Ray, but because she knew from experience that her sisters would go elsewhere if they decided to stick with that plan. Alice’s skin had turned blue for a week when she bought a powder from a less than reputable wizard in Westport. The twins still called her Mommy Smurf sometimes.

Alana made a mental note to follow up with her sisters later. She could always offer to find a spell for Alicia. She could offer and drag the process out long enough that her sisters would move on to something else. 

That would probably be the safest option if Alana could find the time to pull it off. She was already swamped enough as it was. Her classes and clubs and extracurriculars kept her days filled. Her nights were spent researching spells. Spells to make Tracy human again. Spells to give Henry his soul back. Defensive spells, offensive spells, healing spells… 

She was starting to feel like she should start looking for a spell that slowed down time because that was what she really needed – more time.

Alana stifled a yawn as she jotted another name down on her notepad. It was her own fault that she had to stay up and finish this. She’d offered to do it because she’d wanted to be useful. Because she was tired of feeling useless.

Bennie had sweettalked someone in the office into giving him a list of all the missing students. He’d then given Alana the list so that she could go through it and rule out the students whose whereabouts weren’t a mystery to her.

Students like Tracy and Isaac Evans, who had turned into a fish monster two years ago, and Adriana Vaughn, who had been eaten by a…

Alana froze when she saw a name near the end of the list. She shut her eyes as she listened to her sisters laughing upstairs. Laughing at her, from the sounds of it. She was the only subject that could make them howl with laughter.

And just like that, she knew. She didn’t know why, exactly. There were other possibilities, but her gut told her she was right.

She grabbed her phone and called Zoe. “Hey… Did you know that Sophie Ventura has a younger sister?”

 

The band room was empty when Alana got there. That wasn’t a surprise. She knew everyone else was trying to locate Olivia Ventura. 

They’d all agreed with Alana’s conclusion. Zoe had finally gotten around to talking to Nicole about her accident. Nicole had mentioned that she had gone upstairs to use the bathroom and had stumbled across a room that was covered in unicorns. Completely, disgustingly covered in unicorn décor. She’d called it a unicorn shrine. She’d been laughing about that when a freakishly strong gust of wind came through the window and made her lose her balance.

Zoe had seemed slightly disappointed by the fact that Nicole thought the wind had knocked her over. Alana knew the feeling. It had been hard for her to keep Tracy in the dark for years. It had been a relief when Tracy finally started putting the pieces together. 

It had been a relief until it wasn’t. Until it really, really wasn’t.

Alana hadn’t gone with the others because she was supposed to be working on a locator spell for Olivia. She didn’t really need to do much to prepare it though. Locator spells had always been one of her specialties.

She had decided to spend her lunch period reading the article Jamie had emailed her instead. She knew that Jamie meant well, but the article really wasn’t making her feel any better.

Jamie was convinced that Alana couldn’t turn Tracy back because the pixies they’d been fighting had done something to interfere with the spell. She thought they needed to find another group of pixies and coerce them into helping. 

Alana kind of hated how optimistic Jamie sounded about the whole thing. She really seemed to believe that they could find a simple solution if they could just focus enough.

Alana knew better though. She knew that pixies were tough. She knew they were wily and uncooperative and extremely difficult to find. Stormyvale wasn’t their natural habitat. Someone must have imported the group her coven had found. The odds of finding another group, of getting them to help…

Alana preferred to stick to her original idea. As awful as it made her feel, it was easier to believe that she was the problem. That Tracy was still a cat because of her ineptitude. That she could figure things out if she kept at it and didn’t give up.

Tracy was going to be a cat forever. Alana was almost sure of that.

Alana snapped her laptop shut when she heard the door squeak open. Her posture relaxed when she saw it was Evan. Evan, however, had the opposite reaction. His shoulders tensed and his eyes darted around wildly when he spotted her.

“Oh, I, uh…” Evan’s voiced trailed off as he blinked at her. “I thought everyone was looking for, uh…”

“I’m working on the locator spell,” Alana told him. “You didn’t go with them?”

“They’re checking the, uh, the rafters. Above the stage,” Evan replied. “I didn’t think I should go up there with my… You know.” He waved his injured arm in the air.

“Oh, right,” Alana nodded. “How much longer do you have to wear the cast?”

“I’m getting it off this week, I think.”

“Just in time for our fighting lessons to start,” Alana grinned.

Evan laughed nervously as he took a seat next to her. “Yeah…”

“Relax. It’ll be… Not fun, but…” Alana shrugged good-naturedly. “It’ll be good for us to learn. And, hey, judging from what Jared’s said, it sounds like you already have some moves.”

Evan snorted and shook his head. He blinked again as his eyes landed on the book next to her. “Is that the yearbook?”

“Yeah,” Alana said. “I was going to look through it and see what I can find out about Olivia. I couldn’t find anything about her online at all.”

“I-I flipped through it this morning,” Evan told her. “She was in the school play last year. She was part of the ensemble. They-they printed her name wrong. They called her Olive Ventura.”

“That sucks,” Alana sighed. “I feel bad for her, you know. It must be hard to be Sophie’s sister. I mean, Sophie Ventura… She’s basically a celebrity around here.”

“Yeah,” Evan agreed. 

“Not that that makes it okay for her to go around doing these things,” Alana continued quickly. “Did you hear about Derek? Zoe said he got locked in the steam room last night. He was… I don’t know. Coach Gregory had to take him to the hospital. They’re keeping him there for observation.”

Alana’s eyes widened as she watched Evan lower his head. For a moment, she wondered if she’d said something wrong, but then she decided this was just Evan being Evan. “Are you okay?”

Evan took a breath before sitting back up. “You, uh, you said you’ve been invisible before, right?”

“Yeah,” Alana said slowly. Her heart began to race as she tried to guess where this was going.

“Did you know?”

“That I was invisible?”

Evan nodded mutely.

Alana took a second to compose her thoughts. “Not really. Not at the time. I just… I knew how I felt, that I felt invisible. I didn’t really get what I was doing until that one time, when I was home and my dad caught me.”

“I-I think I’ve…”

Alana glanced at him quickly before looking away. She didn’t want to press the issue, to make him feel worse than he already did.

“So, um…” Evan scratched the back of his neck and blinked at the wall. “How-how long have you been doing this?”

“This?”

“Witch stuff?” 

“You mean magic?” Alana smiled. “Since I was thirteen. My parents decided my siblings and I couldn’t start learning spells until we turned thirteen…. Of course, they couldn’t control what my grandmother taught us when we stayed at her place. I’ve been floating pencils and conjuring sparks since I was eight.”

“How long have you been doing this kind of thing?” Evan gestured at the yearbook.

“For about a year,” Alana replied. “My parents told us we couldn’t do any work for the coven until we turned sixteen.” 

“So, you’re, uh, you’re going to cast a spell to locate Olivia?”

“That’s the plan. I’ll need something that belongs to her. I haven’t figured that part out yet. I’ve been asking around and it seems like she’s pretty much been invisible since she started here last year. None of the sophomores I talked to have even heard of her.”

Evan swallowed uncomfortably and shifted in his seat. “What do you think will happen when we find her? You don’t think that…” He glanced at the door quickly. “Zoe’s not really going to fight her, is she?”

“I hope not,” Alana admitted. “We should… I think we should try to talk to her first, you know?”

Alana looked at him again and was struck with the idea that the two of them may be the only ones seeing it that way. Everyone else was so focused on stopping Olivia that they weren’t thinking about the girl herself. They weren’t thinking about what had caused her to disappear. They weren’t thinking about how to keep her from doing it again.

“I think we need to talk to her sister,” Alana decided.

“To Sophie?”

“Yeah… What’re you doing after school?”

“Nothing,” Evan said hesitantly.

“Good,” Alana nodded decisively. “Because I have a plan.”


	25. Chapter 25

“So, you’re really doing it then, huh?” Jared grinned when he saw the confusion flicker across Evan’s face. “You and Alana are going rogue?”

“We’re not going rogue,” Evan muttered.

“What would you call it then? You’re going against Zoe’s orders.”

“We’re not… Zoe didn’t say-”

“Though, technically, Zoe isn’t the boss, is she?” Jared tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I’d call Bennie the boss and he doesn’t know you-”

Jared stopped speaking and dramatically shut his locker when he saw Alana approaching them.

“You ready?” Alana asked. She glanced at Jared quickly before focusing on Evan.

“Yeah,” Evan nodded. 

Jared turned to say goodbye, but they were gone before he had a chance. He blinked as he watched them walk down the hall. This was new. The fact that Evan was speaking to other people, that he was going places with other people, that he wasn’t so star-struck by Zoe Murphy that he forgot about everything else…

Senior year was definitely shaping up to be his weirdest year yet.

Jared adjusted the strap on his backpack as he headed for the exit. He spotted Zoe and Connor down the hall and followed their gaze. They were very obviously watching Evan and Alana. Watching and whispering in a way that made Jared think they still weren’t okay with the fact that they weren’t being included in Alana’s plan.

They nodded at each other and turned to go. They didn’t look at Jared. He doubted that they’d seen him. They were too preoccupied to notice.

Unlike the Murphys, Jared hadn’t minded being left out. Not really anyway. Mostly because Alana kind of terrified him and he hadn’t wanted to push his luck by arguing with her.

He’d declared that he was Switzerland when the subject came up. He’d refused to pick a side and had excused himself when he realized that would not be an option if he stayed in the band room.

He’d called himself Switzerland, but he was starting to think that wasn’t an accurate description of what he was. 

He was an elderly Inuit floating out to sea because no one had any use for him. 

 

Jared frantically stumbled to the left to avoid tripping over a bag of groceries as he walked through the front door. He closed his eyes and put a hand on the wall to the steady himself. It took him less than a second to figure out what he’d walked into. He eyed the stairs as he debated the pros and cons of making a run for it.

“Jared? Is that you?”

Jared squeezed his eyes shut again and exhaled sharply. “Yeah, Mom… It’s me.”

He grabbed the bags off the floor and dragged them to the kitchen. His mother was sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands while his father rubbed her back.

“What’s wrong?” Jared wondered. He dropped the bags on the counter and started putting the food away. He looked up anxiously when his parents didn’t respond. “Did something happen?”

“Your mother…”

Jared froze with a can of beans in his hand when his father stopped talking. He was starting to get the feeling that he didn’t know exactly what he’d walked in on. 

“I thought I saw Henry,” his mother finally whispered.

“What?” Jared frowned. He put a hand to his chest as he let out a startled cough.

“At the grocery store… I was in the cereal aisle and I looked up and…. You know how much your brother used to like Lucky Charms…”

Jared took a breath and stared out the window as his father squeezed his mother’s shoulder. He didn’t know what to say. What could he say? That there was a chance Henry had actually been there? That the demon living in his body might share his love of sugary cereals?

Did vampires even eat regular foods? Jared made a mental note to ask Bennie the next day. 

“I need to lie down,” Mrs. Kleinman decided.

Jared nodded numbly as his father helped his mother out of the room. He quickly finished putting away the groceries before grabbing a cup of noodles out of the cabinet. 

He had a feeling it was going to be a ramen kind of night in the Kleinman house.


	26. Chapter 26

The text popped up just as Connor was reaching a pencil-flinging level of frustration with his Trigonometry homework. He took his time reaching for his phone until he heard the second one arrive. Two texts back to back meant there was news. News that he shouldn’t ignore.

He unlocked the screen and saw that they were from Alana.

_It’s done._

_Olivia’s visible again._

Connor scowled at the screen while he reread the texts. He pushed back from his desk and stormed down the hall to Zoe’s room.

He knocked once before opening the door. The fact that he had knocked at all counted as progress. He knew they were both in agreement about that.

His eyes darted around the room as he tracked her movements. “Are you going somewhere?”

“To Nicole’s,” Zoe said. She glanced at him over her shoulder as she shoved a pair of jeans into her overnight bag. “I’m going to stay there tonight.”

Connor’s eyes narrowed as he let those words sink in. He thought about pointing out that it was a school night, but he knew that didn’t matter. Their parents were at some couples’ retreat their mother had found. A weeklong, non-refundable couples’ retreat their mother had signed up for while under the influence of a spell. 

Their father kept saying he should sue the company that made the candy. He was convinced he could win the case.

“I thought you were mad at Nicole,” Connor finally said.

“I am, kind of,” Zoe admitted. “But… We’ve been friends forever. It’s… I know you’re new to the whole friend thing and all, but-”

Connor had a feeling his expression must have darkened because Zoe stopped speaking and bit her lip. She hastily looked away as she threw her bag onto her shoulder. “Did you need something or…”

“Did you see Alana’s texts?”

“Yeah,” Zoe nodded.

“Did you hear anything else?” 

Zoe tilted her head and looked at him strangely. “Alana just said it’s done, that Olivia’s visible again.”

Connor rocked back on his heels as he stared at her. “And that doesn’t bother you?”

“What?”

“That they left you out. You’re the Slayer and they-”

“Hey,” Zoe shrugged. “If Alana and Evan found a way to solve this without violence, then I’m all for that.”

Connor could see her point, but it still bothered him. Not knowing what had happened. Having to stay home and act like nothing was happening while…

It had driven him crazy all night. 

He didn’t tell Zoe that. He didn’t bother meeting her eye as he turned to go. He stopped in the doorway when something else grabbed his attention though. 

“Is that…” Connor laughed as he eyed the sparkly outfit hanging from Zoe’s closet door.

“Mom gave it to me,” Zoe grinned. “She said she didn’t know what she was thinking when she ‘bought’ it.”

“You’re not going to wear it, are you?”

“Of course not,” Zoe rolled her eyes. “I’m just leaving it there so Mom has to see it every time she comes in my room.”

Connor shook his head as he opened the door. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.”

 

The house was dark when Connor got there. He thought it was empty for a second, but then he noticed the light coming from Evan’s laptop. When he tilted his head, he could faintly see Evan sitting in the corner of the room.

He hadn’t meant to end up at Evan’s house. He hadn’t actually had a specific destination in mind when he left the house. He’d just needed to get out, to go somewhere. He’d driven around aimlessly for almost an hour before he’d wound up on Keller.

Evan took his time coming to the door. Connor knocked twice and rang the bell three times. Evan was standing in the middle of the entryway, blinking around uncertainly when Connor looked through the window. His eyes widened and he finally made his way forward when he saw who was at the door.

“Hey, uh…” Evan muttered. He reached out to flick the light on and recoiled at the brightness.

“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Connor asked when it became clear that hadn’t occurred to Evan yet. 

Evan took a step backwards and glanced over his shoulder. “Uh…”

“I’m not a vampire,” Connor laughed.

“I know!” Evan snapped defensively.

Connor rolled his eyes when Evan still didn’t ask him in. He stepped inside and raised his eyebrows. “See?”

“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Evan muttered.

“So.”

“So?”

“How’d it go?”

“With Olivia?” 

“Yes,” Connor said slowly.

“Oh, um, fine, I guess. I mean, she’s visible again, so there’s that. We, uh… We went to her house and Alana stole a-a hair thing from her room and then we talked to Sophie and her parents and-” Evan paused for a moment to take a breath. “Alana did a spell to find her, but it turned out she’d been there the whole time. She’d followed us in and so it actually worked out really well. We didn’t even have to… She, uh, she heard the things her family said and… I don’t know. I guess it helped because she reappeared and… I don’t know if it’s a permanent fix or not, but it’s a start. We talked to her parents before we left and Alana suggested they look for a therapist for her. I gave them the name of-”

Evan stopped speaking abruptly and scratched at his neck. “So, um, yeah… School should be safer tomorrow and Olivia-”

“Isn’t invisible anymore.”

“Yeah,” Evan nodded. 

“You and Alana make a good team,” Connor observed.

“I guess,” Evan shrugged.

“You know you two don’t have a monopoly on the whole invisibility thing, don’t you?”

“What?” Evan blinked dazedly.

“You were acting like you were the only ones who got what Olivia was going through. Like you…” Connor gestured to the side while he debated how to finish that thought. “You weren’t, okay? We’ve all been there.”

“Oh,” Evan mumbled. “Sorry… I-We didn’t think-’

“It’s fine,” Connor said quickly. He turned to leave because he was suddenly struck by the thought that he wasn’t sure why he’d come there in the first place. 

He paused when he thought about the house. The dark house that was almost empty. His eyes landed on Evan’s laptop and he couldn’t help thinking about RISE and the entries Evan had posted and… He thought it was safe to say that Evan understood the invisibility thing better than he did. 

Because Connor was rarely invisible. People saw him. They noticed him. Just not in a way that he wanted to be noticed. Not in a way that made him feel like they saw him, really saw him.

“Where’s your mom tonight? Is she working?”

Evan smiled slightly as he shook his head. “She has band practice.”

“Band practice?”

“Yeah, her band has officially gotten back together,” Evan laughed. “I don’t… I really don’t know what to think about that.”

“They’re not bad. A little practice and they could actually… You really don’t want to talk about this, do you?” Connor laughed as Evan shook his head. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet. I was going to have some cereal later.”

“For dinner?”

“My mom hasn’t been shopping, so we don’t have very much right now.”

“You want Chinese?”

“What?”

“I’m starving. You want Chinese?”

Evan tugged at his shirt and stared straight ahead. “I don’t actually have any cash or-”

“It’s on me,” Connor shrugged.

“That’s not-”

“I’m getting sweet and sour chicken. What do you want?”

“Um,” Evan laughed nervously. “An egg roll?”

Connor narrowed his eyes as he glanced up from his phone. “Okay, so two egg rolls and a double order of sweet and sour chicken.”

He met Evan’s stare and held it until Evan looked away.

“Sure, okay,” Evan relented.

“It’s fine, seriously,” Connor smirked. “I charged it. My parents won’t even notice when they get the bill. They never notice small purchases.” Connor frowned as he looked around the hall. “So, are we just going to stand here all night or…”

“Oh. Yeah. Um, the living room’s in there,” Evan pointed to his right. “We can, uh… You want to watch something?”

“Sure,” Connor nodded. He tried not to laugh at how relieved Evan looked.

“Great,” Evan sighed. “There’s this new documentary on Netflix and… You don’t want to watch that, do you?”

Connor’s first instinct was that he didn’t want to watch it, but he knew more about friendships than Zoe gave him credit for. He knew they involved compromises. And that it was a bad idea to tease a friend about something he was genuinely interested in, like watching a documentary. Even if it did sound boring.

Connor glanced at the TV and shrugged. “Anything’s fine…”


	27. Chapter 27

Alana woke up to the sound of the twins running around above her. That wasn’t unusual. In fact, it would’ve been a lot stranger for her to wake up to silence. That would’ve made her panic and wonder if she’d somehow lost her hearing during the night.

The fact that the twins were screaming for her was a bit alarming though. It wasn’t completely unusual, but it was worrisome enough that Alana jumped out of bed and flew up the stairs before they reached the basement door.

“Lanie,” Aliza gasped breathlessly. “Mommy said to get you. Alicia-”

Alana didn’t need to hear anything else. She swallowed the curse words that she would’ve uttered if she didn’t have a pair of five-year-olds standing in front of her and took off again.

She didn’t know why she was surprised. She had known this was coming. She had known Alicia wasn’t going to listen to her. That she never listened to her.

Alana coughed and covered her mouth when she reached the top of the stairs. The entire hallway was filled with smoke. Thick, purple, foul-smelling smoke. She turned around and shooed the twins away. Alex whined and Aliza pouted, but they finally scurried back to the living room. 

Alice stumbled out of Alicia’s room just as Alana reached for the doorknob.

“Where are my kids?” Alice choked out.

“Downstairs.”

“Oh, thank God,” Alice muttered. She reached out blindly as she tried to feel her way down the hall.

Alana’s eyes started to water as she staggered into the room. She spotted Alicia standing by her bed and made a beeline for her.

“What did you do?” Alana screeched.

“I-” Alicia coughed and waved an arm in front of her face. “It’s not supposed to do that, is it?”

“You’re not supposed to be doing this!” Alana reminded her. She shut her eyes as the cauldron let out a terrifyingly loud popping noise.

“I wouldn’t have had to if you’d done it for me!”

“Uh-uh,” Alana hissed. “You are not putting this on me. I told you-”

They both jumped as another cloud of smoke filled the room.

“Make it stop,” Alicia begged.

Alana’s heart raced as she eyed the cauldron. She didn’t know what to do. She had no idea how to make it stop. She had a sinking feeling it was too late. She leaned over to examine the brew, only to jump back a moment later as a bubble burst out of it. She grabbed Alicia’s arm and pulled her towards the window as the cauldron continued to shriek and sputter.

And then, just like that, it was over. It was calm. Strangely, eerily, wonderfully calm.

Alicia glanced at Alana quickly before taking a step forward. She cautiously reached into the cauldron and pulled a necklace out. She grinned as she studied the stone. “I did it! It worked!”

“Don’t-” Alana started. She squeezed her eyes shut as her sister slipped the necklace on. “Why did you do that?”

“It worked,” Alicia giggled. “I have to call Ray. I have to see him. I’m going to make him cry. I’m going to make him-”

“Where’s the talisman?”

“What?”

“The talisman. You need something that belongs to him or it won’t work.”

“Oh,” Alicia blinked slowly. “I… I forgot that part.”

“You-” Alana shook her head exasperatedly. “You have no idea what you’re messing with. Something happened. You made something happen. You cast a love spell and-”

“It wasn’t a love spell,” Alicia cut in.

“It wasn’t?”

“No,” Alicia said firmly. “I decided love wasn’t enough. I went to Westport and got the ingredients for a… I don’t know what it’s called, but the warlock said it would make Ray idolize me. It’s supposed to make him become obsessed with me. Obsessed! Can you imagine?”

Alana rubbed her forehead as she felt a headache coming on. “Oh my God… What have you done?”

 

Alana put her head down as she ran into Mrs. Donnelly’s classroom. She could feel her classmates staring. Staring and smirking. Because they knew. They knew they were witnessing something incredible. Something they could tell their friends at lunch. 

They could say they had witnessed the impossible. They had seen Alana Beck show up for school late.

Alana slid into her seat in the front row just as Mrs. Donnelly finished taking attendance. She could feel her cheeks heating up as the teacher stared at her.

“I should mark you late,” Mrs. Donnelly said lightly.

Alana nodded numbly and stared at her hands.

“I won’t though,” Mrs. Donnelly went on. “Seeing as how you’re Alicia’s sister and Alicia is…”

Alana’s head shot up when her teacher’s voice trailed off. She looked around the room and felt sick when she saw her classmates’ faces.

Adoration. Idolization. Obsession.

Those words echoed through Alana’s brain as she realized exactly what Alicia had done.


	28. Chapter 28

Zoe stared at her nails as she listened to Bennie speak. As she tried to listen to Bennie speak. It was kind of impossible for her to focus just then.

Her nails were a mess. They were short and jagged and there was a layer of dirt under them. She bet Alicia didn’t have nails like hers. Alicia’s nails were probably perfect. She must have perfect nails and hair and clothes. Alicia didn’t spend her nights skulking around cemeteries and, even if she did, she would still manage to look pretty and clean because that was the kind of girl she was.

Alicia probably had it all figured out. She didn’t second-guess herself all the time. She didn’t worry about all the things that she was missing. She didn’t struggle to keep herself from falling behind. 

She would live to be a hundred if she were the Slayer. 

Zoe tilted her head as she turned to face Alana. She wondered if it was possible to transfer her powers to Alicia. Alana probably couldn’t figure it out, but Alicia could. She could do anything. She could…

“Evan, no!” Alana screamed suddenly. 

Zoe blinked as she watched Alana reach out and grab Evan’s arm. She did a double take when she realized his arm was only half there, that Evan himself was only half there.

“You are not invisible,” Alana said firmly. “You exist. We can see you.”

“I know,” Evan mumbled under his breath.

Zoe took a breath and tried to focus her thoughts. Evan wasn’t the first person she’d seen disappear that day. She’d grabbed a girl in her Algebra class as she was fading. She’d shaken her shoulders until the girl started crying and asking what was the point of existing when there was someone as perfect as Alicia around.

“This is a spell,” Alana reminded them.

“We know,” Connor snapped. He slumped down in his seat and shut his eyes.

Zoe wondered what was going through his mind. He hadn’t said much since lunch began, but then neither had she. She supposed they were both trying to keep their thoughts inside, to keep the others from knowing how this was making them feel.

She knew it was a spell. She knew she wouldn’t be thinking these things if Alana’s sister wasn’t wearing a magical amulet that made people idolize her and see her as the embodiment of all the things they wanted to be.

Knowing why she was feeling this way didn’t make it any easier for her to stop though.

“Have you asked her to take it off?” Bennie asked Alana.

“She’s not answering her phone,” Alana sighed. “It keeps going straight to voicemail. I’ve texted her though and I-I tried to sneak out after homeroom, but Mr. Howard stopped me.”

“Alicia wouldn’t have gotten caught,” Jared said dreamily. “Shit… Sorry.”

“I can write you a pass,” Bennie decided. “You can go home and try to talk some sense into her.”

“It won’t work,” Alana said. “She’s loving this. Have you been following her Instagram?” She rolled her eyes when they all nodded. “This is, like, her best day ever.”

Zoe felt a quick twinge of jealousy as she stared at Alana. Partially because Alana was somehow immune to the curse. Mostly because Alana would get to go home and hang out with Alicia.

Why hadn’t she noticed how cool Alicia was when they were in jazz band together? They could’ve become best friends and…

Zoe clenched her teeth as she realized she was spiraling again.

“We have to make this stop,” she announced.

“No kidding,” Alana laughed. “I’ll do my best, but-”

Alana’s voice was drowned out by a series of screams in the hallway. Zoe jumped up and ran to the door before the others had even registered what was happening. 

Every door in the hall flew open as people came tumbling out of the classrooms. Teachers and students joined together to form a mob that would’ve made the fire marshal shut the school down.

Zoe stood up on her tiptoes to watch as Alicia tried to push her way through the crowd. It was impossible though. There were too many people, all of them screaming and grabbing and trying to reach her. 

Zoe fought the urge to join them. She balled her hands into fists and squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to silence her thoughts. She felt someone behind her and turned around to face Alana.

“Come on,” Alana whispered. “We have to help her…”

Zoe nodded as she struggled to breathe. She followed Alana through the crowd. Their classmates started yelling when they saw her. Some of them teared up and lost it when they realized they had just been elbowed by Alicia Beck’s sister.

They each grabbed one of Alicia’s arms and carefully worked their way back to the band room. Zoe kept her head down and tried to ignore the screams, to pretend that her heart wasn’t racing. She breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the room. Alana slammed the door shut and locked it as soon as they were in.

Zoe closed her eyes again as she willed her heart to slow down. Logically speaking, she knew there was no reason for her to be feeling this way, but…

She had just touched Alicia Beck. She had just saved Alicia Beck. She…

She needed this to stop. It was all really confusing and annoying and it was kind of making her hate herself. 

She opened her eyes to watch as Alana attempted to yank the necklace off her sister.

“It won’t come off!” Alana yelped.

“I know,” Alicia moaned. Her head fell into her hands as she plopped down on the floor. “That’s why I came to see you!”


	29. Chapter 29

Evan answered his phone on the first ring. Partially because he didn’t want to distract everyone by making more noise than was necessary. Mostly because he didn’t want Jared to see that his mother was calling again.

“Hi,” he muttered as he walked away from the table. He tried to ignore the fact that Jared was snickering behind him.

“You’re on TV!” Heidi exclaimed.

“What?” Evan looked around frantically.

“That’s my son. There, by the window… Can you wave, sweetie? Natalie can’t see you.”

“What?” Evan asked again. He tentatively took a step forward to peer out the window. Alana’s coven was still circling the library and keeping the mob of fans at bay. They weren’t the only ones on the street now though. Evan could see a news crew filming by the post office. Make that two… no, three…. There were three news crews out there. Three news crews with cameras pointing right at them.

“I have to go,” Evan hissed into his phone.

“Don’t forget to ask Alicia-”

“Yeah,” Evan murmured before hanging up. 

He took a breath and tried to work up the courage to approach Alicia, to ask her to autograph something he could give his mother. He wasn’t surprised when he wasn’t successful. 

He did manage to wander over to Alana’s table though. Partially because he wanted to get another book. Mostly because Jared still looked far too amused by the fact that his mother had called him five times since they left school.

“They love me!” Alicia beamed as she looked at her phone. “They really love me. Look at this.” She grinned as she waved her phone in front of Alana’s face.

“They’re under a spell,” Alana said sternly. 

“They think I’m nice. They think I’m cool,” Alicia sighed. “They think I’m-”

“Of course, they think you’re cool,” Alana snapped. “You got Mr. Howard to let everyone go home early.”

“I’m being helpful. You would’ve had to wait hours to do this if I hadn’t worked my magic.”

Alana rolled her eyes when she caught Evan watching them. “You need another book?”

Evan nodded and accepted one from her.

“Look at this!” Alicia laughed. “I have fan pages! This one is for my hair… Here’s one for my clothes and… Aww, this is so sweet. These girls want to be just like me. They-”

“You do realize none of this is real, don’t you?” Alana asked.

“It’s partially real. I mean, they’re noticing things about me. Real things.”

“You haven’t done anything to deserve this. You-”

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Alicia announced. She made a face at her sister as she got up.

Evan watched her go. He knew he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t help staring at Alicia. He knew it was because of the amulet. He knew that was the only reason his heart was racing. That didn’t stop him from blushing when Alana started laughing at him. Evan kept his head down as he hurried back to his table.

“My head hurts,” Jared announced.

“From reading?” Connor smirked.

“No,” Jared said shortly. “From trying not to think about Alicia. Please tell me one of you has found something.”

“There’s nothing in this one,” Zoe sighed. “I thought I almost had something, but… There was this lady in South Africa who had a magical amulet that wouldn’t come off. A shaman was called and he did something that… I don’t know. I didn’t really get it. This Watcher used really formal language and… Long story short, the woman ended up turning into a lizard.”

Zoe laughed as she looked at the guys. “You’re all thinking that Alicia would make a pretty lizard, aren’t you?”

“I wasn’t,” Connor mumbled.

“I keep thinking about Henry,” Jared admitted. “About how Alicia would’ve saved the day if it had been one of her sisters. She would’ve noticed something was wrong. She would’ve stopped him and made him realize that he was doing something dangerous. She-”

“You are not responsible for your brother’s actions,” Zoe cut in sharply. “He made his choices on his own. Only he can-”

Evan jumped as the chair next to him scraped backwards and Connor stood up. He glared at his sister for a moment before stalking over to their aunt’s office. Zoe lowered her gaze and flipped to the next page in her book.

“So, I, uh, I was thinking,” Evan said quietly. “I think this is something Alicia has to want to end.”

“She said she wants to take the necklace off,” Zoe reminded him.

“I know, but…” Evan closed his eyes as he debated how to explain it. He was starting to feel like it was like the invisibility thing. Olivia hadn’t been invisible just because others hadn’t seen her. She’d been invisible because she couldn’t see herself. That was why it was often a recurring problem. It was why Evan kept feeling that way. It was why there wasn’t an easy permanent solution.

Evan thought about Alicia’s face when she’d looked at her phone. She’d been so happy, so excited to feel like people appreciated her. He had a feeling this was like the spell itself. She was like them. She knew it was a spell. She knew it wasn’t real. That didn’t stop her from feeling the way she did though.

Evan shook his head as he gave up trying to find a way to say his thoughts out loud. He didn’t think he could manage to do it successfully. It would come out in gibberish because he wasn’t like Alicia. He couldn’t…

Evan pressed his fingers into his forehead, as though that could force the thoughts out of his head.

He nearly fell off his chair when he heard a scream somewhere to his left. He jumped up and looked around nervously. He wasn’t the only one. He instinctively moved closer to Jared or Jared moved closer to him. He wasn’t sure which. Zoe pulled a stake out of her pocket as she scanned the room. They were the only ones in the library that afternoon. Jamie had somehow managed to close it so that they could conduct their research without having to worry about prying eyes.

Zoe took a step forward as someone staggered through the doorway that led down to the archives. Evan’s eyes widened when he realized there were two people coming up from the basement. Two people being followed very closely by a group of… Evan wasn’t sure how many. He was too scared to count them all.

His heart started to race as he realized that there was only one human in the group. A woman from Alana’s coven was being held hostage by Amy and her vampire army. He heard Zoe take a breath as she continued to creep forward. She stopped when Amy ran a hand along the witch’s neck.

“Seize her,” Amy ordered.

Evan gasped as Jared grabbed his arm and pulled him towards Zoe. He didn’t know what Jared was thinking. He didn’t know how they could be expected to shield Zoe. They hadn’t even started their fighting lessons yet. They…

Evan knew he shouldn’t be relieved, but he kind of was when he realized the vampires weren’t after Zoe. He watched in horror as Alana tried to protect her sister. She conjured up some kind of wind spell that caught them off-guard but failed to slow them down. One of the vampires reached for Alana when they got to her table. She swatted at him and stomped on his foot as hard as she could, but it was no use. Zoe leapt forward again, only to have her path blocked by a trio of vampires.

“Stop!” Alicia cried out. “I’ll go.”

“What?” Alana hissed as she continued to squirm in the vampire’s grasp. “You can’t-”

“What do you want from me?” Alicia demanded.

“We want you to be one of us,” Amy smiled patiently. “We’ve heard all about you and we think you would make an excellent member of our little family.”

“No!” Alana shook her head frantically.

“Let them go,” Alicia demanded.

“Excuse me?” Amy snickered.

“Leave them alone. I’ll… I’ll go with you. Just… Don’t hurt them.”

“See,” Amy beamed at the vampire to her right. “I told you. Look at that. She puts others before herself. All right, my dear. You have a deal.”

The vampires surrounding Zoe immediately backed off and the ones holding Alana and her fellow witch threw them into a table. Zoe started to move again but stopped when Bennie shook his head at her.

Alana struggled to pull herself up as two of the vampires dragged Alicia towards the basement. She managed to stand up just as the door clicked shut behind them.

“No!” Alana shouted. She started to run forward, only to be held back as Connor ran over to stop her.

“It’s okay,” Connor muttered. “We’ll get her back. We’ll…”

He stopped speaking when Alana slapped his arms away. She buried her face in her arms as she collapsed onto her chair again.

“Okay,” Zoe said. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to look at Bennie and Jamie. “What do we know about the tunnels that run under the library?”


	30. Chapter 30

Connor hated this part. The waiting, the uncertainty, the lack of direction. He didn’t know where to go or what to do, so he went back to the table where Evan and Jared were sitting.

They were deep in discussion. Well, Jared was. Evan seemed like he was only half-listening while Jared went on about how it really wouldn’t be that bad if Alicia became a vampire.

“I mean, Alicia’s awesome, right?” Jared asked. “So, it’d be okay for her to live forever, wouldn’t it?”

Evan put his book down and squinted at Jared. “She, uh-”

“She wouldn’t be alive,” Connor scoffed. “She would die and a demon would take over her body.”

“For the time being, but not forever,” Jared nodded. “Alana and I are working on that.”

“You’re…” Connor caught Evan’s eye and was relieved to see that they were equally confused. “What?”

“We’re trying to find a way to give vampires their souls back,” Jared explained. “Alana’s found a couple leads, but none of them have panned out yet. The last one was in some dead gypsy language. It’s not like you can just plug that into Google Translate.”

“This is about Henry,” Evan whispered knowingly.

“Well, yeah,” Jared muttered. “I mean, it started because of Henry, but-”

“Your brother is dead,” Connor reminded him.

“Yeah, I know, but-”

“You don’t get it. He’s dead. He’s a demon. A murderous, blood-sucking demon.”

Jared breathed in sharply as he lowered his eyes. “You don’t know Henry. He-”

“I know vampires. Your brother-”

“Henry can’t even kill spiders. He catches them and puts them outside. He-he only took one karate lesson before quitting because it was too violent for him… Okay, so, he likes video games, but who doesn’t? He prefers the ones with explosions, not the-”

“Do you really think your brother hasn’t killed anyone? Are you that naïve?”

“Henry hasn’t killed anyone!” Jared hissed.

“Oh my God,” Connor shook his head sadly. “You really are that stupid. How do you think your brother’s still walking around? Do you think he’s drinking pig blood? Trust me, he’s not. It’s kill or die in his world.”

Jared’s mouth opened and closed several times before he pushed himself away from the table and stood up. “Screw you.”

Connor spun around to glare at Evan after Jared stormed off. “What?”

“Why did you say that?” Evan demanded.

Connor couldn’t help laughing at Evan’s tone. “You’re mad?”

“Jared’s…” Evan blinked as he turned to watch Jared pace up and down the aisle by the elevator. “Can’t you see he’s having a hard time with this? You-you shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s the truth! Come on. You know it is.”

“I know,” Evan admitted. “But, Jared… That was the last thing he needed to hear right now.” Evan sighed as he nodded at something over Connor’s shoulder. “Did you find the map?”

“Yeah,” Zoe replied. “We’re getting ready to head down there.”

“Oh,” Connor said. “Let me grab my bag.”

“By we, I didn’t mean you,” Zoe said stiffly.

Evan blinked as he looked from Zoe to Connor and back again. “I’m, uh, I’m going to go check on Jared.”

“What do you mean you didn’t mean me?” Connor snapped.

“You’re not going,” Zoe shrugged.

“You can’t go by yourself.”

“I’m not. Bennie and Jamie are going with me and Alana, I think. She’s trying to find something that belongs to Alicia so she can do a locator spell. She thinks she might have a hair clip in her bag.”

“You expect me to just stay up here while you all-”

“Why did you lay into Jared like that?”

Connor’s nose wrinkled as he looked over his shoulder. “Is that what this is about? You’re punishing me for being an asshole?”

“No, but it didn’t help your case.”

“Come on. You of all people should not be surprised that I-”

“Do you even want to have friends?” Zoe cut in irritably.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Zoe sighed. “I don’t need this right now. I just came here to get my backpack.” Her eyes narrowed as she studied his face. “Don’t try to follow us.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Connor frowned. “Why are you so against it though?”

“I can’t protect you down there.”

“I don’t need you to protect me.”

“You can’t fight,” Zoe pointed out. “Not really, anyway.”

“Alana can’t fight.”

“She can do spells though.

“Oh, sure, take her and Amy can end up with a whole cat army. You can cuddle them to death.”

Zoe closed her eyes and shook her head. “Okay… On that note, I’m going…”

Connor’s heart began to race as he stared at her. She thought he was pathetic. Useless and pathetic. She would’ve let Alicia go. If she were Alicia’s sister, she would’ve let her go. She would’ve…

Connor hated this spell. He was used to intrusive, negative thoughts invading his head, but not like this. Not when he was fully aware of how ridiculous they were. Not when he couldn’t do anything to make them stop. Not when a part of him didn’t want them to stop.

“Fuck you,” Connor muttered.

“Wow, great,” Zoe chuckled angrily. “Good talk…”

Connor didn’t watch her go. He kept his head down as he grabbed his bag and headed for the exit.

 

The sun was still up when he stumbled outside. He blinked up at it and pulled his phone out to check the time. 

It rang just as he fished it out. He resisted the urge to moan when he saw his mother’s number pop up. He’d been ignoring her calls all afternoon. He knew he shouldn’t, but there wasn’t much she could do while she was at the retreat four hours away.

“Connor?” Cynthia exclaimed as soon as he accepted the call.

“Yeah?” Connor mumbled as he continued to fumble through his bag. He was rapidly regretting his decision to answer his phone, especially since he couldn’t find any weed in any of his pockets. He’d been sure he had an emergency joint in there somewhere.

“He answered! Larry, Connor-”

“Connor answered?”

Connor rolled his eyes when he heard how shocked his father sounded. “What do you want?”

“We’ve been calling you two all day! What’s going on? We saw you on the news. You’re with that girl? The one everyone’s talking about?”

“What?” Connor blinked as he noticed the news crews filming across the street. “Oh, um-”

“She’s all over my timeline. Who is she? Is she a celebrity of some kind?”

“She’s…” Connor sighed as he debated how to answer that. “Sort of, I guess.”

“Oh. Well-”

Connor’s eyes widened when he spotted Evan standing in the doorway. “I have to go.”

“Call us-”

“We’ll call you tonight,” Connor promised. He disconnected the call and looked at Evan expectantly.

“They’re about to leave,” Evan told him. “I thought you’d want to know.”

Connor’s hand finally struck gold as he watched Evan head back in. He tightened his hold on the joint and stared at the door. He knew he should go see them off. If something happened to Zoe, to Jamie, to any of them, really…

He sighed to himself as he let go of the joint and strode back into the building.


	31. Chapter 31

The tunnels smelled even worse than Alana remembered. 

She’d only been down there one other time. It had been during one of her first missions for the coven. She’d helped them defeat a giant snake that had been terrorizing the town. By help, she meant that she’d stayed out of their way and conjured up a bunch of sparks so the others could see what they were doing.

That was what she found herself doing as she headed into the tunnels with Zoe, Jamie, and Bennie. She lit the way while Zoe went over the plan with her Watcher.

“Our main goal is to get Alicia out,” Bennie reminded them. “We get her out and-”

“I’ll seal them in,” Jamie finished. “As long as we find the east entrance, we should be fine. There are too many variables involved with the other ones.”

“I’ll take out as many as I can before you-” Zoe began.

“No,” Bennie said sharply. “You are only to slay any vampires that charge past the entrance. There will be too many of them. If you go in there and start fighting, we’ll never get out alive.”

“How are we going to get her out?” Alana wondered. “What if it’s… What if it’s too late? What if they’ve already turned her?”

A sense of cold dread blanketed Alana again as her mind began to spin. She’d thought she was going to pass out when Alicia disappeared. She’d wanted to kill Connor, to turn him into something slimy and gross, when he stopped her from following the vampires. She knew he’d saved her life though. Deep down, she knew it. She knew there was no way she would’ve made it out if she’d gone into the tunnels alone.

“They’re under her spell,” Jamie reminded her. “They’ll listen if she tells them not to bite her.”

Alana felt better for a moment before she caught the look on Bennie’s face. He didn’t appear to be on the same page as Jamie at all.

“We’ll get her out,” Zoe promised.

“Okay,” Alana nodded doubtfully.

She absentmindedly squeezed the phone in her pocket. She was glad it didn’t work underground. She didn’t think she could handle seeing any more of her parents’ frantic texts just then.

 

“She’s over there,” Alana whispered. 

Under different circumstances, she would have been amused by the fact that Alicia was sitting on an actual throne. As it was, she was just glad to see that her sister was still up and moving around. She didn’t know a lot about vampires, but she knew the transition didn’t happen that quickly. There was no way Alicia would still be mobile if they’d changed her.

“Well, that makes it a bit more difficult,” Bennie grumbled. 

“Why?”

“We were hoping she would be conveniently close to the entrance,” Zoe smiled faintly.

“I can go in,” Alana offered.

“No,” Zoe said adamantly. “Not by yourself.”

“They’ll strike if they see you,” Alana said. “I can… I’m her sister. I can play that up. I can…”

She fought the urge to roll her eyes as she watched the others have a silent conversation. She didn’t know what they were thinking, but she knew it didn’t involve her. She decided to take advantage of their distraction and made her way forward before they realized what she was doing.

Alana put her hands up in surrender as she walked into the vampires’ lair. She kept her eyes straight ahead because she was afraid she’d pass out if she looked at the vampires.

Alicia stood up when she saw her. For a moment, Alana thought her sister was going to run to her, but she froze when Amy put an arm around her shoulders.

“Wait, stop!” Alicia yelped. “That’s my sister!”

Alana’s eyes widened as she finally took in her surroundings, as she finally realized just how close the vampires were getting.

“Let her through,” Alicia ordered.

Alana tried not to tremble as the sea of vampires parted to let her pass. She couldn’t believe how thankful she was for her sister’s stupid amulet.

“Give us a moment,” Alicia whispered to Amy. 

Amy narrowed her eyes at Alana as she slinked down the stairs and joined the throng of demons.

“Please tell me you have a plan,” Alicia hissed. She squeezed Alana’s arm so tightly that Alana felt like it was going to burst.

“I have a plan,” Alana assured her.

And she did, sort of. She looked across the lair, but she couldn’t see the others. She decided that was a good thing. That meant they hadn’t been caught.

“You’re going to give me a tour of the place,” Alana decided.

“What?” Alicia gasped. “I don’t… I don’t know my way around-”

“It doesn’t matter. You just need to get us to that entrance over there. The one by the bridge.”

“Okay,” Alicia nodded shakily. “I can do that.”

She loosened her hold on Alana’s arm as she led her down the stairs. She nodded briskly at Amy when they reached her.

“My sister wants to join us,” Alicia informed her. “She-”

“We aren’t currently accepting any applications,” Amy said snidely. 

“Oh,” Alicia mumbled. “Well, then you can eat her, if you want.”

Alana tilted her head as she stared at her sister in disbelief.

“I mean, you said you wanted to drain me, didn’t you? We’re family. We have the same blood. You can have her. Just-just let me show her around first. She’s always been fascinated by vampires.”

“I don’t think-” Amy started.

Alicia pulled herself up to her full height and glowered at Amy. “You will let me give my sister a tour. Is that clear?”

Alana couldn’t believe her eyes as she watched Amy back off. The vampire didn’t look happy about it. In fact, she looked so unhappy that Alana had a feeling Alicia would have to stay home at night for the foreseeable future. 

She tried to push that thought out of her head and focus on the task at hand. She allowed Alicia to drag her around the cave. She acted like she was completely enthralled by everything she saw, including the pile of corpses waiting to be drained.

“How convenient,” Alana wryly observed.

Alicia’s nails started to dig into Alana’s arm as they neared the east entrance. Alana forced her face to stay blank. She hoped that the vampires couldn’t sense how fast her heart was beating or, if they could, that they chalked it up to the fact that she was nervous about dying.

“And through here, you can see…” Alicia’s voice trailed off as she grabbed Alana’s hand and they sprinted through the doorway.

The reaction was instantaneous. Dozens of vampires started screaming and stampeding towards them. Luckily, Jamie was ready. She cast her spell before any of them managed to reach the entrance. Within seconds, there was a rumbling sound as the rocks slid down and effectively sealed the hole.

“Let’s go,” Zoe said quickly. “We have to move. There’s another entrance about a half mile from this one.”

It took a second for Alana to realize that the passageway was already illuminated. She did a double take when she saw that the light was coming from Bennie.

“You know magic?”

“A bit,” Bennie nodded. “We should go left when we reach the fork up ahead. If we take the right passage again, we’ll run a greater risk of running into the vampires.”

“Well, that was-” Alicia began as she fell into step with Alana.

“You are taking that thing off the second we get out of here.” She put up a hand when Alicia opened her mouth to argue. “I don’t know how, but you are. We will stay up all night researching it if we have to.”

“Hey, give me some credit. We wouldn’t have gotten out of there if I hadn’t-”

“None of this would’ve happened if you weren’t such a…” Alana shook her head. She couldn’t think of a strong enough adjective to describe her sister.

“I know,” Alicia admitted quietly.

Alana glanced at her sister skeptically but refrained from commenting. She had a feeling they’d be discussing this at home for weeks, possibly even months.

 

“They’re waiting for us,” Alicia moaned into her hands as they walked up to the house.

“Of course, they are,” Alana rolled her eyes. “You know someone from the coven’s called Alan by now and he definitely-”

“I should’ve kept the necklace on,” Alicia said fretfully. “They’re going to kill me, aren’t they?”

“Better to be killed by our parents than a horde of vampires…”

“True,” Alicia nodded. Her shoulders shook as she took a breath. “Okay, here goes…”

The door flew open when they reached the top step. Alana immediately found herself enveloped in a series of hugs as her parents and Alice took turns embracing her. She laughed when she felt Sally jump on her back and bark excitedly. Her laughter grew louder when she saw Tracy sitting on the floor behind Sally.

“They’ve finally reached an agreement of some kind,” Alice told her. 

“Have they now?” Alana grinned as Tracy came over and rubbed against her legs affectionately.

“You know Tracy kind of had a thing for me this morning,” Alicia chuckled. “She wouldn’t stop trying to give me kitty kisses. I didn’t know she swung that way.”

Alana looked down at Tracy and laughed when she saw the annoyed expression on her face.

At least, Alana thought it was an annoyed expression. That was better than the alternative, which meant that she would have a messy litter box to clean later.

“We need to talk,” Mr. Beck said gently as he put a hand on Alicia’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Alicia nodded reluctantly. “Okay…”

Alana gave her sister what she hoped was an encouraging smile before bending over to pick up Tracy.

“Come on, Trace,” Alana muttered. “I know it’s kind of early, but… You won’t believe the day I’ve had.”


	32. Chapter 32

Life went back to normal after the whole Alicia disaster. It did for Jared at least. It didn’t take him long to decide that he was done with all things supernatural. 

He didn’t even bother waiting around to see if the group that went into the tunnels made it out alive. He slipped out as soon as they were gone. He left without saying a word. He spent the night avoiding his parents and ignoring Evan’s increasingly frantic texts.

He knew the moment the spell was lifted because it felt like his head was finally clear. Like he could think about something without it inevitably circling back to Alicia. His newsfeed exploded after the spell was over as people tried to figure out who Alicia was and why they’d been so obsessed with her. 

Jared had wondered how that was going to be handled. He hadn’t had to wait long to find out. Alicia’s brother released an embarrassing video of her lip-synching and dancing into a wall. He’d messed with the timestamp so that everyone thought they’d just been excited that the subject of a viral video lived in their town.

Jared hadn’t thought the video was funny enough to justify the chaos Alicia had caused, but he was starting to see exactly how determined people were to stay in the dark.

 

Jared started eating lunch in the cafeteria again after the Alicia incident. He’d been slightly concerned that his usual seat may have been claimed by someone else, but there were actually three empty spots at his table. He decided he didn’t want to know what had happened to his missing semi-friends.

He didn’t want to know about any of it, really. He didn’t want any part of it. He just wanted things to go back to normal. Well, as normal as they could be without Henry.

Because Henry was really gone. He felt stupid for thinking otherwise. For thinking that his brother was still around. What had he thought would happen? Henry would get his soul back and come home? Had he really thought his parents would welcome their half-dead son with open arms? 

He went on RISE one more time before vowing never to look at it again. He read an article about what it felt like for a vampire to get his soul back. It was painful. Mentally, emotionally, excruciatingly painful. Henry would have been overwhelmed by guilt. It would’ve driven him insane.

Jared caught up with Alana before school one day and told her to forget the whole thing. He left before she could argue. He didn’t know if she’d even tried to argue. She’d never been particularly keen on the idea anyway.

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. Connor was right. Henry was a monster. He wasn’t some sparkly “vegetarian” vampire. Zoe would slay him if their paths crossed.

And Jared didn’t think he would blame her if she did. 

He just didn’t want to know about it.

So, he decided to reclaim his old life. He stopped eating in the band room. He didn’t go over to Bennie’s. He passed on the fighting lessons. 

He made a point of avoiding Connor. That was easy because the feeling seemed to be mutual. Jared didn’t think either of them thought it was a big loss. 

He still talked to Evan on a fairly regular basis. At first, Evan kept trying to convince him to come back. He was strangely relentless about it. As the weeks went on, Evan stopped bringing it up every time they talked or texted. Jared was surprised when he realized he kind of missed hearing what the group was working on. He didn’t care enough to actually do anything about it though.

 

Jared still sat with Zoe and Alana during French class. Mainly because their class was so small now that it only consisted of five students. The other two had taken the phrase ‘joined at the hip’ to another level. There was no way Jared was getting in the middle of that. There was no way they would’ve let him get in the way of that. It was like they were in their own world when they were together.

Jared tried to tune the girls out as they discussed their weekend plans before class one day. He couldn’t help looking up when Zoe mentioned the fact that she was going to a party that Saturday. 

“Don’t you have to patrol?” Jared blurted the words out before he had a chance to realize what he was asking.

“It’s my birthday on Saturday,” Zoe beamed. “Bennie’s giving me the night off.”

“He is?” Alana asked excitedly.

“Jamie talked him into it. She said the two of them can handle things that night.”

“Are you going to Sarah’s party?” Alana asked Jared.

“Who?” Jared blinked.

“Sarah Miller,” Zoe said. “She’s Maya’s cousin. She’s having a Halloween party.”

“Halloween isn’t for…” Jared lifted his hands up as he tried to count the days on his fingers.

“It’s going to be ten days early, but her parents are going out of town,” Zoe explained. “You should come. There’ll be candy. Hopefully of the non-cursed variety.”

“Maybe,” Jared shrugged non-committedly. 

“Everyone’s meeting at my house first,” Zoe went on. “My parents are insisting on having cake before we go.”

“I’ll think about it,” Jared promised. “I might be working that night.”

Zoe nodded absentmindedly as she turned to Alana. “Have you decided what you’re going as? I’m going to be Katniss. You know, from the Hunger Games.”

“I’m thinking Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz,” Alana said. “That way Tracy can be Toto. She’s starting to go kind of stir-crazy. Do you think Sarah will care if I bring her?

“Nah… Just make sure she doesn’t pee on everything.”

“She’s a very well-behaved cat,” Alana grinned. “So, why Katniss?”

“Because I like the Hunger Games and Bennie told me about this time a couple years ago when he was working with a Potential in Belgium. He said she went to a costume party and everyone turned into whatever they were dressed as. So, I figure I should probably go as someone who can fight and is known to carry weapons.”

“That’s actually pretty reassuring,” Alana nodded.

Jared was inclined to agree, but he didn’t say that. He wouldn’t have said that even if Madame Reid hadn’t chosen that moment to begin class.

He didn’t know if he’d go to the party. He couldn’t remember if he had a shift at the movie theater that night. He’d been signing up for extra shifts to keep himself occupied. It didn’t always work though. He still felt uneasy leaving by himself at night. He’d finally gone to Bennie and asked if a Star of David necklace would have the same effect as a cross.

Jared could tell that Connor came dangerously close to commenting on his necklace when they saw each other the next day.

Jared surreptitiously checked his phone while Madame Reid wrote on the board. He wrinkled his nose when he saw that his schedule was wide open that Saturday.

Part of him wanted to go to the party because, well, it was a party and he hadn’t done anything fun in ages. The other part thought it was a terrible idea because it would require him to interact with people he’d been avoiding. And, more than likely, there would be some kind of catastrophe that he would get sucked into.

Because there was absolutely no way a Halloween party on the Hellmouth would ever go smoothly.


	33. Chapter 33

Evan’s eyes widened when he saw his mother reach for the door handle. “What-what’re you doing?”

Heidi tilted her head and fixed him with a quizzical expression. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

“You’re going up? You’re going with me?” Evan’s heart began to race as he looked up at the Murphys’ house. “You-you said you had band practice!”

“Not for another hour,” Heidi shrugged. “I thought it was about time I met your new friends, seeing as how you’re with them all the time now.”

“What?” Evan coughed. “How did you…”

His voice trailed off as he unbuckled his seatbelt. He didn’t know how she knew that. He knew she knew he had friends now, but that was it. She was never home long enough to notice anything else.

Not that he was there much himself these days, but she didn’t know that. At least, he hadn’t thought she did.

“I ran into Eileen at the store the other day,” Heidi explained. “She said Jared mentioned that you’re always busy with your new friends. Which doesn’t make sense because I thought Jared was part of your group.”

“He was-is… He… It was his choice to-”

“Where were you last night?”

“What?” Evan blinked.

“I came home around eleven and-”

“I thought you were working!” Evan cut in.

“You weren’t there,” Heidi continued. “What time did you get home? I fell asleep after one and you still weren’t back.”

“I…” Evan’s mouth closed as he squeezed his eyes shut. “We were, uh, we were studying at Jamie’s apartment. She’s Connor and Zoe’s aunt. She’s coming tonight, so you can, uh-”

“I don’t like this, Evan,” Heidi said quietly.

“You don’t like what?”

“This,” Heidi shook her head as she gestured at him. “You’re staying out all hours of the night with people I don’t know. You’re distracted all the time. You’re ignoring Jared.”

“I’m not ignoring Jared!”

Heidi closed her eyes and sighed. “Do you want to tell me why all your clothes have mud stains on them? And your jeans… Why is there blood in your jeans?”

“That… It’s not blood,” Evan muttered. His voice sounded so shaky that he didn’t even believe himself. 

“I know what blood looks like, Evan.”

“I told you I’d do my laundry tomorrow,” Evan said shrilly.

“That’s not the point. The point is that-”

“Aren’t you the one who’s always telling me I should have friends?”

“This isn’t what I meant,” Heidi scoffed.

“So, what did you mean? Was I supposed to get your approval first? How would I have done that? You’re never home. What was I supposed to do? Take my friends to the hospital or to your school or to-to Maggie’s garage and what? Parade them around in front of you? Ask them to fill out a questionnaire so you could determine if they’re acceptable friend-material?”

Heidi stared at him a moment before shaking her head angrily. 

Evan’s stomach did a flip as he waited for her to speak. He opened his door when she didn’t. “I’m going to miss the cake.”

His spine stiffened when he heard his mother’s door open and close behind him.

“I’m not sure I want you going to this party tonight,” Heidi said.

Evan let out a surprised laugh as he turned to face her. “I can’t go?”

Under different circumstances, that would’ve made him happy. He wasn’t exactly excited about the idea of going to Sarah’s party. He still wasn’t totally sure how he’d gotten roped into going. 

He hated the idea of being told he couldn’t go though.

“I don’t-” Heidi started. She pressed her lips together when a car pulled up next to them.

“Oh, good,” Jamie beamed when she spotted Evan. “I’m not the last one!”

“Mom, this is Jamie,” Evan said stiffly. “Jamie, this is my mother, Heidi.”

“Oh,” Jamie blinked in surprise. She slid her gift bag onto her other arm and reached out to shake Heidi’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Heidi echoed the sentiment before fixing Evan with a shrewd stare. “Evan was just saying that-”

“I was just telling her how we all studied at your house last night,” Evan cut in frantically. He could feel his face heating up as his mother frowned at him. 

“That’s right,” Jamie said slowly. “They came over to work on their English projects. I minored in English, so-”

“She really helped us out,” Evan nodded swiftly. 

There was a moment of silence as he stared at his feet. Awkward silence. Horribly, painfully awkward silence. He could feel his mother watching him. He could picture the wheels spinning in her head.

“So, uh, shall we?” Jamie nodded at the door. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger as she looked at the two of them. For a second, Evan thought she was going to start chewing it.

Evan glanced at his mother quickly and let her take the lead as they all headed up to the house.

Evan found himself being ushered into the dining room as soon as they stepped inside. He was half-relieved, half-embarrassed when his mother decided to introduce herself to the Murphys and Alana. Her shoulders relaxed when she spotted Jared hovering awkwardly in the background.

“Nice costume,” Evan laughed as he joined Jared by the window.

“I thought it was fitting,” Jared grinned as he fingered his Dracula cape. “What’re you supposed to be? A dad?”

“I’m a park ranger,” Evan muttered defensively. He glanced down at his costume, which wasn’t so much a costume as it was a uniform. His uniform from the previous summer, to be exact. Minus the hat. Even he knew better than to wear that to a party.

“It’s better than Connor’s, at least,” Jared decided.

Evan thought Jared was just being difficult about Connor again until he looked up and saw what his friend was wearing. “Is he even-”

“Nope,” Jared shook his head. “The girls have been bugging him since I got here. Zoe keeps saying he can’t go with us unless he puts on a costume.”

Evan scratched his neck awkwardly and looked away when Connor caught them watching him.

“So, why’d you bring your mom?” Jared wondered.

“I didn’t bring her,” Evan said. “She, uh… She just decided to come in.”

“Oh,” Jared nodded knowingly. “That sucks.”

“Yeah…” Evan felt a lump form in his throat as he watched his mother talk to the other adults. He couldn’t help wondering what they were discussing. Part of him was dying to know. The other part dreaded the idea of finding out.

Evan tried and failed to keep himself from zoning out as Jared started prattling on about the new video game he’d just gotten. He watched his mother as she stepped to the side to have what appeared to be an intense conversation with Mrs. Murphy. He watched as Jamie checked her phone and craned her neck to look at the setting sun. He watched as Zoe finally managed to prod Connor out of the room.

Mrs. Murphy lit the candles and called them all to the table when Connor returned a minute later. Zoe started to argue about her brother’s lack of a costume, only to burst out laughing when he held up his arm.

Evan grinned when he saw the gauze wrapped around Connor’s arm. “So, uh… You want me to sign it?”


	34. Chapter 34

Sarah Miller’s Halloween parties were legendary. Zoe knew firsthand that they were one of those rare things that actually lived up to the hype.

Zoe had been attending Sarah’s parties since elementary school. Back then, they had been smaller and scarier. Much scarier. Sarah would invite a handful of girls to sleep over and they’d stay up the whole night watching horror movies and playing pranks on each other. Zoe had always thought that Sarah’s parties were the reason she didn’t get scared easily.

As they got older, the parties evolved and turned into what most people would consider normal high school parties. Normal except for one thing. Sarah still went all out in her efforts to terrify her guests. Everyone knew she loved Halloween. She’d been fascinated by scary things since she was hospitalized as a child. Zoe had heard Sarah’s story so many times that she knew it by heart. She’d never actually believed Sarah’s tale, but now she was certain there was at least some truth to it.

Sarah loved to tell people about the week she’d spent in the hospital when she was seven. She swore there was a monster there. A monster that could only be seen by the pediatric patients. The rest of the story varied, depending on Sarah’s mood. Sometimes it ended happily with a heroic doctor saving the day. Other times it ended in a bloodbath. Sarah being Sarah, it usually ended in the bloodbath.

That was why Zoe didn’t think there was anything strange when they first pulled up to the house. The yard was covered in tombstones and there were ghosts flying through the air. Fake tombstones and projections of ghosts, Zoe assumed… until one of the ghosts swooped down and flew through them.

“Did you feel that?” Alana gasped.

“It was cold,” Jared nodded.

“Was that a real ghost?” Zoe wondered. She rolled her eyes when the others blinked at her. She didn’t know why they expected her to have all the answers. That was Bennie’s job, not hers.

“Okay, I’m out of here,” Jared muttered. “I knew something like this was going to happen!”

“What’s happening?” Evan’s shoulders shook as he looked around the lawn. “Is that… Did a hand just pop out of that grave?”

“There are bats in that tree,” Connor pointed out. “And those skeletons look real.”

“They’re dancing,” Jared laughed. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of dancing skeletons.”

Zoe narrowed her eyes as she tried to take everything in. It looked like Sarah had finally gotten her wish. Her house was really, truly haunted.

“I’m going in,” Zoe decided. She swallowed anxiously as her eyes landed on one of the upstairs bedrooms. A girl she vaguely recognized was standing by the window, screaming and clutching the curtains as a shadowy figure loomed behind her.

“Do you think we should call Bennie?” Alana asked her.

Zoe shook her head. “There isn’t time… You don’t have to go with me if you don’t want to.”

“We’re going,” Connor assured her. He shook his head when he saw how uncertain the others looked. “I’m going.”

“I’ll go,” Alana sighed. “I can cast some protection spells.” She made a face when Tracy poked her head out of the basket and hissed at her. “I’ve been practicing…”

“Are you leaving?” Evan asked Jared.

“Are you?” Jared retorted.

Evan bit his lip before shaking his head.

“Okay…” Jared nodded resolutely. “Me neither… But, if I die, I’m coming back and haunting all of you. Like really haunting. Like you should be prepared to never sleep again.”

Zoe resisted the urge to roll her eyes again as she led the way across the lawn. She kept her hand on the knife in her belt as she walked. She nearly pulled it out as a zombie staggered by. He didn’t seem particularly interested in them though, so she let him pass in peace.

None of the creatures seemed interested in them, in fact. Zoe wasn’t sure what to make of that. It was still a relief when they finally managed to run up the stairs to the house though.

It was a relief until a gust of wind blew down from somewhere above the awning and knocked everyone except Zoe off the porch. 

“One at a time…”

Zoe looked around to see where the voice was coming from, but there were no obvious answers to be found. She glanced over her shoulder and watched as her friends pulled themselves off the ground.

“I don’t like this,” Alana muttered.

“I’m calling Jamie,” Connor announced.

Zoe squared her shoulders and stepped forward to open the door. She could hear her friends arguing, telling her not to go in, but she didn’t care. Things like this were part of her job description.

Laughter filled the air as she turned the door handle.

“Welcome to your nightmare…”

 

Zoe jumped as her foot landed on something soft. Something soft and strong and… Hissing? 

Snakes. Of course, her nightmare would involve snakes.

Zoe felt dizzy. Her blood turned cold as she tried to swallow her fear. There were no other options. She couldn’t stay put and the snakes were blocking her only path.

She knew what this was. Sort of. She’d read about things like this. Demons and curses that forced people to face their fears. She knew it wasn’t real. Not completely anyway.

It felt real though. The snakes were definitely real. She inhaled sharply as she tried to find a way around them.

She had to get past them. She had to find the source. If she found the source, she could end this. Whatever this was.

She looked over her shoulder before backing up and taking a running leap over the snakes. She knew she never would’ve made it if she hadn’t been the Slayer. She didn’t think she’d ever been this thankful for her abilities.

She didn’t look back at the snakes. She could hear them hissing and that was enough. She allowed herself to shudder once before moving forward. 

She caved and let herself look over her shoulder before she rounded the corner. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the snakes weren’t following her.

Her relief faded as she realized this was just the start. There were more things coming for her. She knew there were. She tried to guess what they could be, but she was drawing a blank. Snakes were probably her biggest fear. At least, they were before she’d become the Slayer. Now, she worried about things like dying and becoming a vampire and losing the people she cared about.

Her stomach felt like it had dropped to her feet when she spotted her parents arguing at the end of the hall. They weren’t really her parents. She knew that. She knew her parents were at home. She knew this was just a vision… or something.

She also knew that she had to face them. Her only other option was to go back to the snakes and there was no way that was happening.

“Mom, Dad,” Zoe greeted cautiously as she approached them. She didn’t know why she was playing into this. She wondered what would happen if she told the apparitions that she knew they weren’t real.

Her heart skipped a beat as they turned on her. She’d never seen her parents look like that. They were furious. Horrified. Disgusted with her. 

And she had no idea why.

“This is your fault,” her mother hissed.

“What?” Zoe blinked as she tried to look past them. It was no use. She couldn’t see anything but fog.

“You brought this on us,” her father said.

“What are you talking about?” Zoe demanded.

“You destroyed our family,” her mother hissed. “You have ruined all of our lives. None of this would have happened if you were normal.”

Zoe looked down as she realized what this was. She knew there was a part of her that worried about how her parents would react if they found out she was the Slayer. She knew they would hate it. They would hate the thought of their daughter - the good kid, the good kid who had gone bad when she burned down the gym, the good kid they thought was being corrupted by her brother - being involved in something like this. Something dangerous. Something they wouldn’t understand. Something they wouldn’t be able to brag about to their friends.

“This isn’t real,” Zoe said firmly.

“Oh, sweetie,” her mother smirked. “It is to you.”


	35. Chapter 35

“Okay,” Connor nodded to himself as he ended the call. “Jamie and Bennie are on their way. They said we should stay put until they get here.”

“Uh, that might not be an option,” Jared said shrilly.

Connor’s heart sped up when he heard how panicked Jared sounded. He took a breath before turning around. 

They were surrounded. At some point during the two minutes he’d been on the phone, every creature lurking around Sarah’s yard had come forward to block them in.

Connor caught Alana’s eye and gestured at the mob. “Can you do something?”

“Uh-uh,” Alana shook her head. “I mean, I can try, but…”

“Right, so we’re going in,” Connor decided. 

“Wait, hold on. What’s inside?” Jared wondered. “What if it’s worse than them?”

Connor looked at him dubiously. “Do you really want to stay out here and take your chances with them?”

Jared folded his arms across his chest and glared at Alana. “Why did I let you and Zoe talk me into this?”

There was a crash of thunder as the voice called out again. “One at a time…” 

Connor scowled up at the house. “Yeah, we know…”

 

The clown charged at him as soon as he stepped through the door. Connor instinctively ducked out of the way and put his hands up to fend him off. It was obvious the clown hadn’t been expecting a fight because it was easy for Connor to get the upper hand. It only took him three hits and one kick to the shins to make the clown fall down.

Connor wasn’t sure what to do next. He waited for the clown to get up and was caught off-guard when it disappeared instead. He didn’t know what that meant. He doubted that was the worst thing the house was going to send his way.

The voice had welcomed him to his nightmare. Connor dreaded finding out what that meant. He’d always been slightly terrified of clowns, but he knew there were worse things out there. 

He couldn’t help laughing when he made his way around the corner and saw the people blocking his path. 

“Yeah, okay, this is more like it,” Connor chuckled. 

He stood up as straight as possible as he made his way down the line. He wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction of getting any jabs in. He knew they weren’t real. He knew they were just a manifestation of his fears and doubts, but he also knew their words would get to him if he let them speak.

“I’m a disappointment,” he told his father. “You can’t imagine having a worse son.”

He didn’t give his father a chance to respond before he moved on to his mother. “You don’t understand me at all. You’re not even sure you want to anymore.”

“You hate me,” Connor said to Zoe. “You always have, always will. Nothing I do will ever change that.”

He paused for a moment when he got to Evan. This one didn’t feel as clear as the others. He knew what his subconscious believed about his family. He wasn’t as sure about Evan.

“We’re only friends because I saved your life,” Connor blurted the words out quickly when he saw the Evan-manifestation open his mouth.

Connor closed his eyes and took a breath. They were gone when he looked up again. He heard someone clapping behind him and spun around to watch as another figure emerged from the shadows.

The figure laughed when he caught Connor gawking at him. “I’d ask if you saw something you liked, but we both know the answer to that question, don’t we?”

Connor tried to swallow his surprise. He tried not to be bothered by the fact that he was face to face with himself. A mirror image of himself, dressed exactly like him, all the way down to the makeshift cast on his arm.

“So, let me guess,” Connor finally said. “I’m my own worst enemy?”

“You got that surprisingly fast,” the Connor-manifestation grinned. “Your brain must actually work now that you’re not stoned all the time.”

“I don’t have to listen to this,” Connor snapped. “You’re not real.”

“No, see, the others weren’t real, but I am. I’m you. There’s no getting rid of me. You can push other people away. You can be mean to them and hurt them and make them hate you. You can isolate yourself from everyone in your life, but you can’t make me go away. Not as long as you’re still breathing.”

Connor blinked as he tried to look past the manifestation. He knew he needed to keep moving, but he couldn’t see how. The entire hallway was covered in fog. He decided it didn’t matter if he couldn’t see. He would just keep going until he found something. Or someone. Hopefully Zoe.

“But, then you already know that, don’t you?” The manifestation smirked as it started to circle Connor. “It’s why you tried to numb yourself with weed. It’s why you’ve thought about ending things. Because you know you’re trapped. You’re stuck with me for life.”

Connor cringed as the manifestation put a hand on his shoulder. 

“I’m not going anywhere.”


	36. Chapter 36

“Ugh, spiders!” Jared jumped back against the wall as the door swung shut behind him. He screamed as he felt something crawl down his back. His hands frantically scratched at his body as he watched the insects swarming all around him.

“Okay, so this is pretty much my worst nightmare,” Jared nodded to himself. “Well done, house!”

Jared shuddered as he closed his eyes and marched forward. He didn’t look up until he ran smack into a wall. He blinked as he cautiously glanced around the corner. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized he couldn’t see any spiders down that portion of the hall.

Jared pulled his phone out as he continued to creep forward. He hit Evan’s number and put the phone to his ear. 

“Hey,” Jared greeted quickly. “Are you in yet?”

“What?”

Jared rolled his eyes at Evan’s tone. “Are you in the house?”

“Who is this?”

“Jared! Who do you think this is?” Jared shook his head irritably. “I just wanted to warn you about the spiders. They’re terrifying and they’re everywhere when you first walk in.”

“You have the wrong number. I don’t know any Jareds.”

“What-” Jared started. He did a double take when he realized Evan had ended the call.

“Okay,” Jared muttered under his breath. “That was weird…”

Jared hurried up when he spotted a door at the end of the hall. He pulled it open and walked into the most chaotic scene he’d ever encountered.

There were people everywhere. Everywhere he looked, Jared saw frantic teenagers, yelling and crying and trying to escape. Jared spotted mummies and serial killers and dentists chasing his classmates as they screamed and ran.

He put a hand out to stop Craig West as he went by.

“Hey,” Jared said softly. “You okay?”

“Huh?” Craig blinked at him before looking at the flock of birds that were pursuing him.

“Birds, huh?” Jared grinned. “I never would’ve thought you’d be-”

“Do I know you?” Craig cut in.

“Um, yeah,” Jared chuckled. “We’ve only been eating at the same lunch table since-”

Craig pushed Jared’s hand away and took off again. Jared barely had enough time to jump back before the birds soared past him.

Jared’s heart skipped a beat as he replayed his conversation with Craig. And with Evan. 

Something was wrong. He didn’t know what, but…

Jared pulled his phone back out and opened the page for _The Stormyvale Times_. His shoulders shook as he typed his brother’s name into the search bar. Henry’s obituary popped up immediately.

Jared’s eyes widened as he scanned the article. He spotted it right away. It was right there in the first line. 

_Henry Aaron Kleinman, the only son of Harold and Eileen Kleinman…_

Jared nearly dropped his phone when he realized what this meant.

He wasn’t invisible. He hadn’t ceased to exist.

He had been forgotten.


	37. Chapter 37

Alana fumbled through her basket for her phone while her eyes struggled to adjust to the dark. 

“Sorry, Trace,” she muttered as she heard her friend yelp. “If you see my phone in there, can you nudge it towards me? I can’t see a thing.”

Alana cursed as Tracy suddenly leapt out of the basket and, from the sounds of it, took off down the hall. 

“Great,” Alana sighed. “I’m alone in the dark.”

Alana had hated the dark for as long as she could remember. She’d slept with a nightlight until she was twelve. She still pulled it out occasionally, though she liked to think that was a smart decision on her part. She knew the kinds of things that lurked around out there. She knew that monsters were real.

Alana closed her eyes as she tried to concentrate on forming a ball of light. She smiled to herself when she saw it floating in front of her. That was more like it.

The light bounced along next to her as she crept down the hall. She had to find her way to the heart of the house. Her grandmother had always said that things like this originated in the heart. Alana wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but she figured she’d know it when she saw it.

The next stretch of the hall seemed even darker than the first. Alana closed her eyes again as she muttered an incantation to strengthen her light. Her eyes flew open when she felt its warmth.

“That’s not what I meant!” Alana hissed as she watched the ball burst into flames and fly down the hall. She felt dizzy as she tried to remember a spell that would conjure water.

“Oh, dear, this is a mess. I taught you better than this.”

Alana spun around and squinted down the hall. “Gran?”

She knew it wasn’t really her grandmother. She knew this was part of the spell or curse or… whatever this was. She knew her grandmother would never take that tone with her. 

She couldn’t help the fact that she immediately felt better when she thought there might be a chance her grandmother was near though.

“Look at you,” her grandmother clucked sadly. “I’ve been gone less than a year and you’ve already managed to ruin our family’s reputation.”

Alana swallowed sharply as she stared at her feet. “This isn’t you.”

“No,” her grandmother admitted. “It’s you. You’re the problem. You know you are.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” Alana snapped.

“And what does that mean, exactly? Who have you actually helped since you started doing this? Your parents are terrified of you.”

“They worry about me. They’re not-”

“They worry about what you’ll do next. They know you’ll never live up to-”

“I’m not trying to be you!” Alana interjected.

“Well, thank heavens for that. At least, you have the sense to know you’ll never be me.”

Alana kept her head down as her grandmother drew closer.

“And what about poor Tracy? You know she regrets the day she became friends with you.”

Alana refused to acknowledge that statement. She kept her eyes straight ahead as she watched the fireball sail towards her again. 

“I have to put it out,” she announced. “It’s going to burn the house down.” 

Alana ignored her grandmother’s laughter while she studied the flames. The spell was on the tip of her tongue. It was right there. She just needed to remember it. She just needed to… 

Her grandmother smiled as she shook her head at Alana. “It’s so cute that you actually think you can fix this.”


	38. Chapter 38

Evan’s phone buzzed as he made his way down the hall. He ignored it because it didn’t matter. That wasn’t the sound his phone made when he received a text. It was the sound it made when he had a notification. Which was actually odd because he thought he’d turned that option off.

He had to find the others. He didn’t know how he’d missed them. Logically speaking, they should’ve been by the door when he came in. This place was so weird though that he wondered if they’d all ended up in different locations somehow. 

His phone continued to buzz relentlessly as he walked. Evan sighed as he fished it out of his pocket. A window popped up as soon as he unlocked the screen.

Evan felt light-headed as he read the headline. Someone had broken into Dr. Sherman’s office and stolen all of his patients’ files. They had scanned them and uploaded them onto a site for the public to read.

Evan allowed himself to sink to the floor as he clicked the link. He scrolled down the list until he found his name. He didn’t open his page. He couldn’t bring himself to do that just then.

His stomach flipped as he realized what this meant. People could read about him. All about him. They could see his doctor’s notes, his prescriptions… They could see everything. It was all out there for anyone to see.

There was no going back from that. No denying it, no hiding from it. They would know it all.

They’d want nothing to do with him. Evan was sure of that. His entries on RISE had been bad enough and those had only touched on some of the things that went through his mind. This would ruin everything. He didn’t know how he’d ever look anyone in the eye ever again.

Not that he was that great at that as it was, but this just made it so much worse.

Evan flinched as his phone buzzed yet again. He didn’t pick it up until the noise became unbearably loud.

A video popped up this time. Evan’s finger hovered above the play button as he stared at the screen. It was so dark that he couldn’t tell what kind of video it was. He hoped it wasn’t anything bad. He didn’t think he could handle any more bad news.

It started playing before he hit play. It repeated itself automatically until Evan couldn’t take it anymore. Until he threw his phone across the room.

It was a video of him. He didn’t know how it existed. There was no way it should exist. No one had been there. He would’ve noticed if someone had been filming him.

It showed him in the tree on the day he broke his arm. It showed how he climbed it and…

Evan crawled across the floor to grab his phone again. He could feel the bile rising in his throat as he hit play.

The camera zoomed in on him as he reached the point where he lost his balance. Where he…

Evan dropped his phone and breathed into his hands.

He had let go. 

There was no denying that. The video had captured it all. His expression, the way it shifted as he tentatively loosened his grip. The way he…

He hadn’t planned on doing it. He knew he hadn’t. It wasn’t something he had planned at all. 

He knew he’d thought about that kind of thing before, but never seriously. It had always just been a fleeting thought. It hadn’t meant anything. It had never actually meant anything.

Except, apparently, it had.

Apparently, there was a part of him that was quick to take advantage of situations like that.

Evan didn’t swallow the bile when it rose again. He grabbed the planter across from him and let it out.


	39. Chapter 39

“We didn’t raise you to be this way.”

“None of my friends’ daughters are like this. Where did we go wrong?”

“This is your brother’s fault. You didn’t get like this on your own. You only started fighting because he made you feel like you had to defend yourself.”

“I always thought I’d have a daughter like me. I thought we’d have the same likes, the same interests.”

Zoe didn’t think she’d ever been so relieved to see a door in her life. She didn’t care where it went or what was on the other side. She threw it open without a second thought. 

Her parents’ apparitions continued to chatter away at her as she tried to get her bearings. She’d expected as much. She hadn’t really expected to get rid of them that easily.

Ten minutes. She glanced at her watch and confirmed her estimate. Her phantom-parents had been following her and scolding her and putting her down in every way imaginable for ten minutes.

Zoe tried to look on the bright side. She now felt like she was prepared for any reaction her parents could possibly have if they ever learned she was the Slayer. She’d even thought of a few comebacks she could use on them. 

Of course, none of those had worked on the apparitions. Nothing had made them go away. And she’d tried everything short of violence. She hadn’t been able to make herself try that.

Zoe blinked as she scanned the room. It looked like she’d finally found the party. There were dozens of people running around and screaming while they tried to escape from their own personal nightmares.

Zoe tried to place where she was exactly. She’d been to Sarah’s house countless times over the years, but nothing she’d seen that night felt familiar. None of Sarah’s hallways were that long. Zoe knew that for a fact. She supposed whatever was causing this mess had done something to warp the house. She just hoped it wasn’t permanent. She couldn’t begin to imagine how much trouble Sarah would be in when her parents came home if it was.

“Zoe! Oh, thank God!”

Zoe’s eyes narrowed as she watched a guy dressed like Dracula run over to her.

His grin faded as soon as he saw her face. “You don’t know me, do you?”

“Should I?”

“Yeah,” the guy nodded. “It’s me. Jared.”

“Okay,” Zoe shrugged.

“We’re friends,” Jared went on. “We go to school together. We’ve worked together on-on stuff. Weird stuff. I mean, I know you’re the Slayer.”

Zoe grabbed his arms as she leapt forward to pin him against the counter. “Who are you?”

“Jared,” he wheezed. “What part of ‘we’re friends’ don’t you understand?”

“The part where we’re friends. I don’t know anyone named Jared.”

“You do,” he insisted. “It’s just this curse has made you all forget who I am. Trust me, you’ll remember when it’s over.” Jared’s eyes widened as he nodded at something over Zoe’s shoulder. “Hey, what are you parents doing here?”

“You know my parents?” Zoe rolled her eyes when she saw his expression. “Right. Because we’re friends.” 

“We are!” Jared exclaimed.

Zoe let go of him as she considered her options. She could really use an ally and he seemed to be her best and only option. If he was telling the truth, then it was a good call on her part. And if he wasn’t…

“I’ll kick your ass if you screw me over,” Zoe warned.

“Fair enough,” Jared nodded. “But, seriously, you really don’t need to worry about that, even when this is over and you remember who I am.”

“Because we’re friends,” Zoe nodded.

“Because that was terrifying and I’m going to make it a life goal of mine to never piss you off again.” Jared’s eyes lit up as they landed on something by the door. “Is that Tracy?”

“You know Tracy?” Zoe made a face as she followed his gaze. “Stupid question.”

“I know Tracy’s a cat,” Jared confirmed. “She’s a cat because Alana accidentally turned her into one.”

Tracy sat up straight to fix them with a startlingly fierce glare. 

“Let’s see what she wants,” Zoe decided.

Jared frowned while they walked across the room. Zoe could see the moment when he finally registered what her phantom-parents were going on about. 

“Those aren’t your real parents, are they?”

“No,” Zoe shook her head.

“Okay,” Jared nodded. “Because they’re being kind of, uh, harsh.”

“Yeah, I know.” Zoe was about to bend down to talk to Tracy when she jumped up and took off down the hall. 

“Should we follow her?” Jared asked.

Zoe thought about it a moment before nodding. She didn’t know what it said about her that Tracy seemed to have a plan and she didn’t.

Tracy came to a stop when they made it around the second bend. She plopped down in front of a door and blinked at it until Zoe grabbed the handle.

“Oh, great,” Jared muttered when he saw what was inside. “Two Connors. So, this is my nightmare, part three…”

Connor – the real Connor, Zoe assumed, based on his expression – hurried over to the door when he spotted them. His eyes widened when he saw the figures hovering behind Zoe. He caught her eye and they made a silent pact not to discuss the manifestations that were haunting them.

Not then, at least. Because there was no way Zoe wasn’t bringing this up later. The fact that Connor’s worst nightmare was himself was something she would definitely be addressing at a later time.

“Tracy’s on the move,” Jared informed them.

“Who’s he?” Connor hissed as they ran after Tracy again.

“A friend,” Zoe shrugged. “Apparently.”

Tracy froze in the middle of the next hall and meowed as she looked at two doors that were across from each other.

“Smoke!” Jared gasped. “There’s smoke coming from that one.”

Connor opened the door next to him. “Evan’s in there.”

Zoe inhaled sharply as she put the pieces together. “Then, Alana must be-”

“Go,” Connor urged. “I’ll get Evan. You guys get Alana before the fire spreads.”

“Any chance your Slayer strength allows you to touch hot door handles without being burned?” Jared wondered.

Zoe didn’t bother answering. She braced herself as she turned the knob. She knew it would hurt, but she also knew that she would heal a lot faster than Jared.

The flames weren’t as bad as she’d been expecting. The corridor was covered in smoke, but the fire actually seemed to be contained. Zoe coughed into her arm as her eyes adjusted to the light. The response was instantaneous when she called Alana’s name.

Zoe ran down the hall with Jared, Tracy, and her phantom-parents on her heels. She felt like she could pass out from relief when she saw that Alana wasn’t alone. Bennie and Jamie were there and the three of them were doing some kind of spell to control the fire.

“Oh, good,” Alana grinned. “You found Jared.”

“You know me!” Jared bristled when Zoe glared at him. “Right. Priorities…”

“What’s going on?” Zoe asked.

Bennie put his arms down long enough to hand her a pair of necklaces. “Put those on. They’ll block the spell’s effects.”

Zoe didn’t need to be told twice. She slipped the necklace on and watched as her phantom-parents faded away. She felt dizzy when they were gone. She wasn’t sure how she’d be able to face her real parents when she went home.

“Well?” Jared glanced at her expectantly.

“I’m holding you to what you said,” Zoe told him. “If you piss me off again, I’ll-”

“You remember me?”

“Yeah,” Zoe laughed. Her laughter cut short when she spotted something by Bennie’s feet. “What’s with the chainsaw?”

“We had to get in somehow,” Bennie informed her. “One more blast should do it.”

“Allow me,” Alana said. She shut her eyes before directing one final gust at the flames.

“We need to find the source of the spell,” Jamie told them. 

“What are we looking for, exactly?” Zoe wondered.

“It’s a mark, most likely. It might look like one of these.” Jamie pulled her phone out and showed them a series of diagrams. 

“You have those on your phone?” Bennie’s brow wrinkled as he bent down to look.

“We witches aren’t as old-fashioned as you Watchers,” Jamie smirked. “We’ve taken the time to scan our books so we can access them anywhere.”

“You also know how to fix your phones so that you have unlimited memory,” Bennie pointed out.

“Just say the word if you want me to fix yours,” Jamie offered. “Now, we need to find the heart of the house.”

“What does that mean exactly?” Alana asked eagerly. “I was trying to figure it out earlier, before the whole…” She gestured at the walls sheepishly. “That smoke damage isn’t permanent, is it?”

“None of this should be,” Jamie assured her. “In this case, the heart should be where the majority of the partygoers have ended up.”

Zoe nodded knowingly. “We want to go back this way then.”

The door flew open as she went to reach for it. She glanced over her shoulder to see her aunt standing behind her.

“No need to burn yourself twice in one night,” Jamie said. “Remind me to give you some balm when we get out of here.”

“Wait,” Jared called out as they started down the hall. “What about Evan and Connor? They’re still in the other room.”

The door to the room in question opened enough for Connor to poke his head out. “I don’t think Evan’s up for moving right now.”

“Is he okay?” Zoe wondered.

Connor looked behind him before shaking his head. “We’ll catch up with you when he’s-”

“Here,” Jamie cut in quickly. She accepted a pair of necklaces from Bennie and handed them to Connor. “These will help.”

Connor nodded mutely and shut the door again.

“Maybe I should…” Jared started uncertainly. He blinked at the door and bit his lip.

“Come on,” Zoe said. “We’ll need all the help we can get.”

Zoe hadn’t realized how accurate that statement was until they got back to the party room and saw how many symbols were painted on the walls. Apparently, Sarah had managed to get her hands on an actual magic book. Zoe would have been worried about what that meant, except it was obvious Sarah hadn’t understood what she was doing at all.

The group split up and studied the walls as soon as Jamie sent them the file of symbols. Zoe stayed with her aunt and was relieved to learn that the majority of the symbols were either harmless or had been drawn incorrectly.

Zoe looked up when she heard Jared calling them from across the room.

“The Mark of Gachnar,” Bennie said as he studied the circle in front of Jared.

“It matches, doesn’t it?” Jared beamed.

“I’d say so,” Bennie agreed. “Now, I should have a book in here somewhere…”

Jamie rolled her eyes as she opened a file on her phone. “Let’s see… It says destroying the mark will-”

Zoe immediately jumped forward and punched a hole in the wall. She blinked as a look of horror crossed her aunt’s face. “What? Destroying the mark will destroy the demon. That’s what you were saying, wasn’t it?”

“Not quite,” Jamie said tensely. “Destroying the mark summons him to you.”

Zoe swallowed sharply as she took a step back. The space on the wall where the mark had been lit up and crackled ominously.

Zoe shifted into a fighting stance as she watched the wall. She let out a startled laugh when the noise died down and she saw the demon standing in front of her.

“That’s it?”

The demon was tiny. Really tiny. Barely bigger than a bug. 

It stared up at them and shouted its threats, but it was no use. Zoe wasn’t the only one laughing.

“Does anyone have a flyswatter?” Jared chuckled.

There was a sudden rustling sound behind them before Tracy leapt forward and pounced on the Gachnar.

“I told you she’s a very well-behaved cat,” Alana grinned.


	40. Chapter 40

“This is why you shouldn’t have friends. You’re pathetic. Useless. You can’t even help yourself. You can’t even-”

“Shut up!” Connor grabbed at his hair as he spun around to face the manifestation. “Oh my God. Would you shut your fucking mouth before I…”

Connor looked down at the necklaces in his hand. Jamie had said they would help. She hadn’t said how, but he didn’t think that mattered. Anything was better than this.

The manifestation vanished the instant the necklace settled onto his chest. Connor let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and glanced down at Evan.

He knew he had to give the other necklace to Evan, but that was easier said than done. Evan hadn’t looked up once since Connor had come in the room. Not really anyway. He’d briefly blinked at the sight of two Connors before immediately dropping his gaze and curling up again.

Connor didn’t know what to say. The manifestation had gotten that part right. His initial reaction had been to ask Evan what was wrong. He realized that his tone and choice of words may not have been appropriate though.

Evan hadn’t answered. He hadn’t budged at all.

“Hey,” Connor said stiffly. He dangled the necklace in front of Evan like he was trying to hypnotize him. “Put this on. It helps.”

Evan cautiously accepted the necklace and slipped it on. He stared blankly at the ceiling as he leaned back against the wall.

“Did you throw up?” Connor asked suddenly. 

Evan’s face went pale when he noticed that Connor was eyeing the planter next to him. “Uh, yeah. Little bit.”

“Are you okay?”

Evan bristled at his words and nodded at the door. “Can we, uh, can we go?” 

“Are you-”

“I just want to get out of here.”

“Yeah,” Connor muttered. “Sure.”

 

The party went on without a hitch after Tracy destroyed the Gachnar. At least, Connor assumed it did. No one in his group felt like sticking around to see it through. They lingered long enough to watch as people started going up to Sarah and congratulating her on her amazingly realistic haunted house. Sarah looked confused, but pleased. Mostly pleased.

They went back to Bennie’s house because it was clear that none of them were ready to go home yet. Jamie announced that she was making hot chocolate for everyone and ushered the girls into the kitchen to help. Bennie grabbed Jared and took him to the basement so they could discuss whether or not he had been serious when he’d mentioned the idea of rejoining the team.

Connor didn’t know what to do with himself. He watched as Evan collapsed onto the couch and pulled out his phone. Connor decided to take that as a cue for him to do the same. 

“It’s gone,” Evan gasped. His phone slipped onto the floor as he jumped up again.

“What’s gone?”

“The-the article,” Evan stammered. “The article about Dr. Sherman. It’s gone. It…” Evan’s eyes widened as he sank back onto the sofa. “It wasn’t real, was it?”

“Are we talking about something that happened in the house?” Connor wondered.

Evan nodded quickly. “I… There was an article about my…” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “None of it was real. It was just…”

“Gachnar, the demon of fear,” Connor read. “Jamie sent me an article about him.”

Connor opened the browser on his phone when Evan didn’t respond. He knew he shouldn’t, that it was none of his business, but his curiosity was getting the better of him.

There were three Dr. Shermans in Stormyvale. Two podiatrists and a…

Connor forced his face to stay blank when he saw the third one. Evan was in therapy. That was the only logical explanation.

The only logical explanation unless Evan was seriously freaked out about the guy who was tending to his feet. Somehow, Connor didn’t think that was the case.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Connor offered.

“Do you?” Evan countered. He raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at Connor. “There were two of you.”

Connor yawned and stretched his arms over his head. “Yeah.”

Evan jumped back when he caught a glimpse of Connor’s phone as it slid onto the cushion. “What are you-”

“Shit,” Connor muttered. “Sorry. I just-”

“Why were there two of you?” Evan demanded. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at Connor like he was daring him to answer.

“Because…” Connor sighed. “Because I’m my own worst enemy.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?” 

“Makes sense… I guess.”

Connor opened his mouth to ask what that was supposed to mean, but he decided he didn’t want to know the answer.

“I mean, that’s true for a lot of people, isn’t it?” Evan continued. “I know I… There are times I wish I could just get out of my head. Just make myself shut up for a while.”

“Yeah,” Connor nodded. He watched his hands as they stretched out in front of him.

“Dr. Sherman’s my therapist,” Evan said quietly.

“I figured.”

“I… An article popped up on my phone saying that his office had been broken into and all his patient files had been released.”

“Is that why you threw up?”

Evan shook his head slightly. “No, I mean, kind of, but…” Evan bit his lip and looked down. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay,” Connor shrugged. “But, you know it wasn’t real, right?”

“No, yeah, I know,” Evan nodded quickly. “But, I, uh, I think it kind of was.”

“Yeah,” Connor agreed. “I think you might be right.”


	41. Chapter 41

Alana wrinkled her nose as Tracy continued to prance around the counter in front of her.

“Okay, fine, you did a good job tonight,” Alana admitted. “But can you sit down already? You’re making me dizzy.”

“And getting cat hair in the hot chocolate,” Zoe pointed out.

Alana sighed as she reached for the mug in front of Zoe. “I’ll take that one.”

Jamie grabbed the cup before Alana could get it. She dumped it in the sink and went back to the stove. “There’s plenty in here. Will’s always been a closet chocoholic.”

“You called him Will,” Zoe said slowly.

“That’s his name.”

“Yeah, but…” Zoe looked at Alana quickly before smirking at her aunt. “You know your way around his kitchen.”

Jamie put a hand on her hip as started stirring again. “I’m not dating your Watcher.”

“I didn’t say anything about dating,” Zoe grinned.

“We’ve known each for years, that’s all,” Jamie said firmly. “Now, stop trying to change the subject.”

Alana didn’t know why she looked down. She wasn’t the one being scolded. Not that Zoe had really been scolded, but…

She was starting to feel like she was intruding on a family moment.

“I’m going to take my hot chocolate in the other room,” Alana announced.

“Wait,” Jamie cleared her throat as she glanced at the girls. “I know this isn’t easy, but we should talk about-”

“I think I speak for both of us when I say we really don’t want to talk about what we saw tonight,” Zoe cut in sharply.

“I get that, but…” Jamie closed her eyes before turning to face Alana. “Did you ever hear the story of the first time I met your grandmother?”

Alana shook her head.

“I was twenty-one. I’d just gotten back from my semester in England and I decided I was finally ready to do some work for the local coven. I knew all about your grandmother, of course. She was the most famous witch in town.”

Alana nodded knowingly. Even in death, her grandmother was still the most famous witch in town.

“I was terrified to meet her. The legendary Rosa Beck. I was so nervous that I…” Jamie smiled to herself. “That part isn’t important. The important part is what your grandmother did afterwards. I told her what had been going through my head. I told her I’d been so determined to impress her, to impress all of them, that I’d choked. 

“And your grandmother, she gave me a copy of the coven’s journal. It goes back centuries. There are pages and pages about the coven’s activities. Our triumphs, our failures, our embarrassing mistakes.”

“The Tracy thing is going to end up in there, isn’t it?” Alana mumbled.

“Only if you want it to. It’s up to the individuals what stories they want to preserve. Your grandmother told me she’d waited until she was an established, well-respected witch before she started contributing her own tales.”

“What kind of tales?” Alana asked curiously.

“All kinds,” Jamie beamed. “Most of them are from when she was starting out. I’ll send them to you. They’re entertaining and… It made me feel better, at least. It made me feel better to be reminded of the fact that legends aren’t born overnight. You don’t get a reputation like your grandmother’s without a lot of work, without a lot of trial and error.”

Alana nodded slightly. She understood what Jamie was saying, but her faux-grandmother’s words wouldn’t stop echoing through her head.

She was looking forward to reading the journal though. It would be nice to see a different side of her grandmother. 

Alana looked up when she realized Jamie was telling Zoe something about her mother. She decided that meant it was time for her to leave them alone. She craned her neck to look into the living room and decided she didn’t want to get into the middle of that either. 

Alana let out a slightly exaggerated yawn as she slid off her stool. She quickly said her goodbyes, declined the fresh cup of hot chocolate, and scooped Tracy up again.

“Come on, Toto,” Alana muttered. “Let’s go home.”


	42. Chapter 42

“Um, so, I wasn’t actually thinking we’d start tonight,” Jared said as he looked around the basement. He’d never been down there before, but Evan had described it so thoroughly that he almost felt like he had. “I’m not exactly dressed for it, for one. And, uh-”

“We’re not training tonight,” Bennie assured him. “I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.”

“About whether I’m serious about this?” Jared wondered. Bennie had said something about that when they were upstairs and the question had made Jared dizzy. He didn’t know the answer. He was still debating the pros and cons of coming back.

“About your brother, actually,” Bennie clarified. “Zoe mentioned that you were looking for a way to return his soul.”

“I was, but not anymore.”

Bennie looked at him quizzically. “Not anymore?”

“Not anymore, no.”

“Okay, but your brother is the reason you want to help us?”

“Sort of,” Jared shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know that I really…”

“Elizabeth, my twin sister, was my reason… One of my reasons,” Bennie admitted. “I… I should’ve talked to you about this earlier.”

“About what?”

“About your brother. About… I was lucky in a way. I was surrounded by people who understood. Who theoretically understood. None of them really got it.” Bennie cleared his throat and took a seat at the bottom of the stairs. He nodded for Jared to do the same.

“I come from a family of Watchers,” Bennie went on. “Both of my parents were Watchers. So was Elizabeth. My mother died when Elizabeth and I were eight. She died of cancer. There was nothing supernatural about it. Elizabeth had always been the more serious twin. And she was always Elizabeth, if you’re wondering. Never Lizzie or Beth or… I called her Lizzie once when we were twelve and she punched me so hard she nearly broke my nose.

“All of this came naturally to her.” Bennie gestured around the basement. “She was fascinated by it. I think she’s probably the only girl in the world who actually dreamed about becoming the Slayer. I was the opposite. You got to see that firsthand last month.”

Jared smirked at the memory. “Yeah…”

“I wanted to be a doctor until I realized I was awful at science. Then, I was all about my music. Elizabeth, though, she never wavered. She stayed the course, became one of the youngest Watchers in the history of the Council.”

Bennie tapped his chin and leaned against the railing. “She was killed while leaving the Council’s headquarters one night when we were twenty… Not just killed, turned.”

Jared looked up in surprise. “You mean she-”

“Became a vampire,” Bennie nodded. “She… She was ruthless. Focused. Our father couldn’t handle it. It was too much for him. He kept telling me that, but I was too busy with my own life. I was in a part-time training program to be a Watcher, but I didn’t really care much for it. I only signed up to humor my father, so he’d keep paying half my rent.

“I got a frantic call from him before I had a gig one night and I… I ignored it. Well, I didn’t ignore it, exactly. I didn’t go, but I called it into another Watcher in my program. By the time I got to my father’s house, there were police everywhere. He was dead. The police didn’t understand what had happened, but I knew immediately. I recognized her style. Elizabeth had killed our father.”

“Is she still…” Jared stared at his hands. He didn’t know how to finish that sentence.

“I slayed her,” Bennie said plainly.

“Oh,” Jared mumbled. “I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago,” Bennie shrugged. “I had to make a choice after she was gone. I had to decide if this was the life I wanted. I’d never wanted it. I felt like I was a Benson in name only, like there was no way I deserved to be listed on the same page as my parents. And Elizabeth. Because she would’ve been a great Watcher if she’d lived. I have no doubt about that.”

“Did you ever consider trying to restore her soul?” 

“Once, briefly. I knew she would’ve hated it though. It would’ve tortured her, driven her insane. She would’ve staked herself once she realized what she’d become.”

Jared nodded uncomfortably. He didn’t know if Henry would take it that far, but he’d come to a similar conclusion about his brother.

“So,” Jared started slowly. “You committed yourself to becoming a Watcher because of your sister?”

“Partially,” Bennie agreed. “I committed to it because of my family, because of my guilt, because I worried my father would come back and haunt me if I didn’t try to right our family’s reputation. And because it was the right thing to do. Because it’s a hard job, but an important one. And I’ve come to realize that I’m not as bad at it as I once thought I was.”

Jared didn’t say anything for a minute. He stood up and walked around the basement. He studied the equipment. He glanced at the books on the shelves and shook his head when he saw the ones that were open on the table. He didn’t know what they were working on, but he had to admit he was curious.

“I want to help,” Jared decided. He said it quickly before he could change his mind. 

“All right,” Bennie nodded. “We’ll start your training tomorrow.”


	43. Chapter 43

Alana jumped off the couch when she heard Alicia on the stairs. Her eyes narrowed when she saw her sister’s expression. It was classic Alicia, caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Only this time she’d been caught by Alana instead of one of their parents.

“I thought you were gone,” Alicia said quickly.

“Not yet,” Alana replied. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at her sister. “Where are you going?”

“Seriously?” Alicia whined. “It’s Halloween, the safest night of the year. I’ll be fine.”

“It’s still not safe for you to go out at night,” Alana reminded her. “One of Bennie’s contacts said-”

“I’m only going across the street,” Alicia interrupted. “I’m going to Maria’s house. She’s having people over for my…”

“For your what?”

“My goodbye dinner,” Alicia muttered.

Alana tilted her head irritably. “Your what?”

“I’m leaving,” Alicia sighed. “I’m moving in with Aunt Sue.”

“Aunt Sue? You’re going to Cincinnati?”

“Yeah,” Alicia nodded. “It’s all set. I’m leaving on Friday.”

Alana shook her head as an uneasy laugh slipped out. “You’re serious?”

Alicia nodded numbly. “I’ve already packed up most of my things. You saw the boxes. You-”

“You said you were donating-”

Alicia rolled her eyes and snorted. “And you believed me?”

“I thought it was strange,” Alana admitted. “So… You’re leaving because you’re scared? Because-”

“Because I don’t have a future here. I want to go somewhere new, start over fresh.”

Alana nodded slightly. She felt like she should probably argue that point, but she could see where Alicia was coming from. 

“Besides, it’ll be good for you all,” Alicia grinned. “It’ll free up a room. You can move out of the basement if you want or the twins can take it and give Alice some space or Tracy can use it.”

“You think Tracy needs her own room?” Alana laughed. “For what? All her scratching posts?”

“She’ll need the space if she decides to stay here after tonight.”

“Why would she-”

“I heard you and Dad talking about her the other night. I know you think she might not want to go home.”

Alana swallowed uncomfortably. “It’s just her parents-”

“I know,” Alicia nodded. “She’ll be eighteen soon, won’t she?”

“Her birthday’s in December.”

“So, that’ll be here before we know it. If she wants to stay, she should stay.”

“That’s assuming this works.”

“It will work,” Alicia insisted. “Stop being so negative.”

“I know. It’s just-” Alana breathed in quickly when she heard a car honking outside.

“They’re here,” Alicia informed her.

“Yeah,” Alana nodded. She turned to call Tracy, only to find that her friend was already sitting on the stairs behind them. 

“Good luck,” Alicia smiled. “I hope it works.”

Alana nodded solemnly as she swung her bag onto her shoulder. “Me too.”


	44. Chapter 44

Evan massaged his temples as he stared at the screen. Two hours. He’d been working on his essay for two hours and he’d only written one paragraph.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely his fault. He was starting to think he should’ve gone to the forest with his friends. He was too distracted to actually focus on his scholarship essays. It was getting to be a real problem. He hadn’t been making excuses when he said they were due soon. 

He kept checking his phone for updates, but there were none. He hoped that was a good thing. He hoped that meant things were going well, that the pixies hadn’t taken off the second the group arrived. He also hoped it didn’t mean that they were in trouble. He was the only one who had stayed behind. If things went south, it would be up to him to save the day and that was just...

There was no way that ended well.

Evan had actually been planning to go with them until he heard where the pixies had been found. They were living in a band of trees near the veterinary hospital. Dr. Adams had spotted them on her way to work one day and told Jamie.

Evan had bowed out when he heard that. Jared had teased him about it mercilessly. He’d gone on and on about how Evan was just scared he’d break his arm again.

He hadn’t realized how close he was to the truth.

There was no way Evan would ever participate in a battle taking place in the treetops. He didn’t think he’d ever climb a tree again. The thought made him sick. It made him want to panic, to curl up in a ball and panic.

He reached up to press his forehead again as he tried to control his thoughts. He shut his laptop when he realized that wasn’t happening anytime soon.

The street was strangely empty when Evan passed the window. They usually didn’t get many trick-or-treaters, but he’d expected a few to show up. He’d put a basket out on the porch for them so he wouldn’t have to answer the door. It didn’t look like it had been touched, as far as he could tell.

He did a double take when he saw his mother’s car in the driveway. She’d texted him earlier to say she was going to the library to pick up some books for school. She usually lost track of time when she did that, so he hadn’t expected to see her for a few hours.

He lingered by the door as he waited for her to come up the steps. He could feel a lump forming in his throat when she didn’t appear.

Evan cautiously opened the door and scanned the street. It took him a second to spot them.

His mother was standing under the oak tree with Henry Kleinman.

Evan let out a stream of curses – shaky, barely intelligible curses – as he ran up the stairs. He couldn’t think straight. His heart was beating too fast for him to process anything. Luckily, his adrenaline was kicking in and that seemed to know how to direct his actions.

He tore across his room and opened his bottom dresser drawer. He pulled out the wooden stake, cross, and holy water Zoe had insisted he needed to have. The Slayer starter kit, Connor had mockingly called it. Evan had hoped he’d never need it. He’d never planned on being in a situation where he’d need it.

His whole body was shaking by the time he made it outside. He shoved the stake in his pocket and fumbled with the cap on the holy water as he ran across the yard.

“Hey!” Evan shouted. “Get away from her!”

Henry started laughing as soon as he spotted Evan. “Well, well-”

“Get back!” Evan cried. He flung the holy water at Henry the second he was within striking distance. He cringed when he saw where it landed. He really needed to work on his aim. Only a small portion of it splashed against Henry’s cheek.

It was enough to make Henry jump back as his skin sizzled though. Evan decided that was better than nothing.

Evan pulled the cross out of his shirt and waved it in front of him as he positioned himself between Henry and his mother.

“Get out of here,” Evan ordered.

Henry laughed again as he looked Evan up and down. “Do you really think that’s enough to stop me?”

“This is,” Heidi said suddenly.

Evan gasped as his mother lunged forward with a bottle of pepper spray. The blast caught Henry off-guard. Evan took advantage of his momentary blindness and dragged his mother up to the house. She didn’t fight him. He’d been expecting her to struggle, but he managed to get her into the house before Henry recovered. 

Evan stayed in the doorway and watched as Henry swiped at his eyes and cursed. The burning seemed to wear off after less than a minute. Henry lifted his head up to scowl at Evan. Their eyes met and Evan was glad there was an invisible barrier keeping Henry from him.

“Amy sends her regards,” Henry called as he took off into the night.

Evan’s hands continued to shake after Henry was gone. He shut the door and hurried to the living room to grab his phone. He was vaguely aware of the fact that his mother was following him, that she was asking question after question, but he didn’t have time for that just then.

Thankfully, Jared answered on the first ring.

“Oh my God,” Jared hissed into the phone. “You missed it. It was awesome. They turned Connor into a goat. Just for a minute, but that was the greatest minute of my life.”

“Jared-”

“It worked, by the way. It was crazy, but it worked. I don’t get it. I don’t get this magic stuff at all, but Tracy’s human again. She’s still coughing up hairballs though. It’s actually pretty gross.”

“Jared-”

“We’re all going to Louie’s now if you want to-”

“Jared, shut up and listen to me, okay?”

“What?”

“Henry came to my house tonight.”

Evan blinked at the phone when Jared didn’t respond. His heart was still racing and he still felt shaky. Shaky and sweaty. He could feel his mother standing behind him, but he refused to turn around.

“Wh-what?” Jared stammered. “Did he-Are you okay?”

Evan swallowed dryly as he allowed himself to glance back at his mother. “He went after my mom.”

Evan shut his eyes as the phone went silent again. 

“Is she…” Jared finally managed to mutter.

“We’re fine,” Evan assured him. “I should, um… I need to talk to her, but, uh, tell Zoe he said that Amy sends her regards.”

“Shit,” Jared mumbled. “Do you want us to come by?”

“No,” Evan replied quickly. “It’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Evan didn’t move for a moment after he hung up. He blinked at the wall while he tried to figure out what to say.

He didn’t understand how this had happened. Bennie and Jamie had both sworn that Halloween was the one quiet night they had each year. It was common knowledge that vampires and demons preferred to lay low on Halloween. They thought it was too predictable for them to strike. Some of them even thought the holiday had become too commercial.

Evan squeezed his eyes shut before turning to face his mother. “So, um-”

“Henry’s a vampire,” Heidi said quietly.

“Yes,” Evan nodded.

“And vampires… They’re real?”

“Yeah,” Evan nodded again.

Heidi laughed as she shook her head. “I need a drink…”

Evan followed her into the kitchen and sat at the table while she puttered around the room. 

“How long have you known?” Heidi wondered.

“About two months,” Evan told her. “You don’t seem… You didn’t know, did you?”

“I’ve heard stories,” Heidi admitted. “You can’t help but hear stories when you spend your entire life in Stormyvale. I never thought… They were just tales. Ghost stories. Things that the junkies would spew when they came to the hospital.”

Evan stared at his hands as they folded and unfolded in front of him. He looked up in alarm when his mother started to laugh hysterically.

“Mom?”

“Sorry, sweetie,” Heidi chuckled. “It’s just… This really explains so much.”


	45. Chapter 45

Zoe woke up with a start. Her body was covered in a cold sweat and her heart felt like it was going to explode in her chest. Her eyes fluttered open and shut while she tried to catch her breath. 

That had been the worst dream yet. And that was saying something. She had ten days’ worth of nightmares to compare it to.

She grabbed her phone and texted Bennie after the initial shock wore off. His response was instantaneous. 

_The bloody wall is new. Can you describe it in more detail?_

Zoe’s fingers hovered over the keyboard until she heard her mother outside her door.

“Zoe?” Cynthia called. She rapped on the door once before swinging it open. “Are you up?”

Zoe dropped her phone and folded her hands in front of her. “Yeah… Did I oversleep?”

She wrinkled her nose when she saw the time. Apparently, she’d forgotten to set her alarm. Again. For the fifth time that week.

Cynthia hurried across the room and felt Zoe’s forehead. “You don’t feel warm… Does your throat hurt? I heard there’s a bug going around.”

“I’m fine,” Zoe said shortly. “Just tired.”

“You look pale,” Cynthia maintained. “Do you want me to call Dr. Andrews?”

“No,” Zoe shook her head. “I’m fine. Really.”

“Okay,” Cynthia said uncertainly. “You better hurry up then. You need to leave in-”

“Ten minutes,” Zoe nodded. “I know.”

Zoe stumbled out of bed as soon as the door shut behind her mother. There was no time to shower, barely enough time to brush her teeth. She threw on the first semi-clean outfit she put together and tied her hair up in a way that didn’t make it look like she hadn’t washed it in days. Or so she hoped.

The kitchen was quiet when she wandered in. She poured herself a cup of coffee and scorched her tongue as she downed it. Connor caught her eye and mouthed the word ‘again.’ She nodded wordlessly as she grabbed a pop tart from the cabinet.

“What time did you two get in last night?” Larry demanded.

“Larry-” Cynthia started.

“No, we’re discussing this,” Larry said firmly. He put the newspaper down and studied his children’s expressions. “What time?”

“They were at Jamie’s,” Cynthia reminded him. “She called me last night. She said they were watching a movie and they lost track of time.”

“And you believe her?” 

“Are you calling my sister a liar?”

“I’m just saying I wouldn’t put it past her to cover for these two,” Larry muttered. He turned to look Connor in the eye. “What did you watch?”

“Some French film,” Connor shrugged. “I don’t know the name.”

“Hmm,” Larry nodded. He pulled out his phone and composed a text.

“What’re you doing?” Connor wondered.

“Texting Jamie,” Larry replied shortly.

“Larry, really…” Cynthia sighed. She rubbed her forehead as she shook her head. “They didn’t do anything wrong.”

“They scared us half to death,” Larry snapped. “We came home to an empty house.”

“We’re sorry,” Zoe said quietly. “We should’ve left a note or called or… something. We won’t forget next time.”

“Next time?” Larry scoffed.

“You’ll understand when you’re older,” Cynthia told them. “When you have kids of your own.”

Zoe could feel her face growing pale as she stared at her hands. What was she supposed to say to that? That she highly doubted she’d live long enough to give her parents grandchildren? That, even if she did, she couldn’t imagine becoming a parent? How would that even work? She’d put the baby to bed before heading out to patrol?

Zoe buried her face in her arms. She was too tired to think about things like that. She didn’t even want to think about things like that when she was wide-awake.

“You’re just mad because you had to go to the PTA meeting,” Connor told their father.

Zoe didn’t need to look up to know he was smirking. She stretched her foot out to kick his ankle. The sound he made gave her the energy to sit back up.

She didn’t feel like getting into this fight again. It was a well-established fact that their parents were doing everything they could to seem helpful and respectable and trustworthy. They were doing everything they could to make people forget about the fact that their children had burned down the gym. 

Had been accused of burning down the gym. Which was basically the same thing in Stormyvale.

Cynthia narrowed her eyes at Larry before turning to face Zoe. “I saw Nicole’s mother last night.”

“You did?”

“She said Nicole told her you’ve drifted apart. She said you haven’t come over to their house in ages.” Cynthia put a hand to her neck as she took a breath. “She said Nicole told her you’ve been eating lunch in the band room every day.”

“You didn’t tell me that,” Larry said coldly.

Zoe couldn’t bring herself to meet her father’s stare. Instead, she directed her annoyance at Connor. This was his fault. The fact that their parents were worrying about Bennie’s intentions again was because of Connor and his stupid accusations.

“We all have,” Connor told them. “The two of us, Evan, Jared, Alana. We’ve all been eating there.”

Zoe cautiously looked over at her parents. Her mother’s expression had softened, but her father didn’t look convinced.

“Mr. Benson’s been helping us with our band,” Connor went on quickly.

“Your band?” Larry asked skeptically.

“Yeah,” Connor nodded. “We’ve formed a band. Zoe plays the guitar, of course, and… Evan plays the drums. His mom’s teaching him how and, um… Jared’s on the keyboard and Alana sings and-”

“And you?” Larry demanded.

“I’m the second guitarist,” Connor grinned. “We’re actually planning to try out for the talent show. Auditions are next week, so we’ll probably be practicing a lot.”

“Oh,” Cynthia beamed. “Well, that’s wonderful. Larry, isn’t that wonderful?”

Zoe could tell that their father wasn’t nearly as enthused as their mother, but he managed to nod his head.

“We’ll have to send out an email letting everyone know,” Cynthia continued. “I think there was a flier about it in the packet they gave us last night.”

Zoe wrapped the rest of her pop tart in a paper towel and stood up. “We better get going.”

Connor nodded and followed her out. Zoe whacked his arm as soon as they were outside.

“What?” Connor snapped.

“What was that?” Zoe snapped back. “Why’d you tell them we’re in a band?”

“At least, I came up with something,” Connor rolled his eyes. “You didn’t even try to-”

“You do realize we’re going to have to perform now, don’t you?”

Connor shook his head as he laughed at her. “No, we won’t. We’ll tell them we didn’t make the cut. We’ll blame it on Bennie. We’ll say he didn’t think we were ready yet.”

“Except you’re forgetting about Alana’s no-cut initiative. It’s on all the fliers.”

Connor froze with his hand on the car door. “Shit.”

It was Zoe’s turn to roll her eyes at him. “Yeah.”

Alana’s idea had sounded like a good one when she’d heard it. Alana had told Bennie that the talent show should be open to anyone who wanted to perform, as long as their act wasn’t wildly inappropriate. Alana thought it would be good for students like Olivia Ventura who wouldn’t have made it otherwise.

Zoe tilted her head at Connor as he backed out of the driveway. “So, why the guitar?”

“What?”

“Why’d you say you play the guitar too? Why didn’t you say the bass or the… I don’t know. Something else.”

“Because you play the guitar,” Connor shrugged. “So, I mean, how hard can it be?”

Zoe made a face at him and folded her arms across her chest. “Okay, so Jared has to learn how to play the keyboard.”

“He used to take piano lessons.”

“He did?”

“I remember him bragging about it when we were in middle school,” Connor said. “He was standing in front of me in the cafeteria and I got annoyed and knocked his tray on the ground.”

“Oh,” Zoe muttered. “And-”

“Alana sat across from me in Chemistry last year. She used to make up all these really annoying songs to remember the elements.”

“So, she can sing?” Zoe sighed.

“She can sing well enough for this.”

“And Evan…” Zoe didn’t want to finish that sentence. She caught Connor’s eye and knew he was thinking the same thing she was.

“Any chance you want to be the one to tell Evan?” Connor wondered.

Zoe shook her head adamantly. “Are you kidding? I’m not touching that one with a ten-foot pole.”


	46. Chapter 46

The silence in the basement was deafening. Evan tapped his knees while he stared at the drums. He didn’t know why they were surprised he wasn’t a natural drummer. He had known from the start that he wasn’t. No one else had been bothered by that though. They were too busy trying to put together a performance that wouldn’t totally humiliate them.

Evan was the only one who was still reluctant about the whole thing. Alana hadn’t been thrilled at first. She’d been annoyed that it was yet another thing she had to do, but she’d come around when she realized it gave Bennie a reason to write letters of recommendation for them. It had been bothering her all year that she couldn’t ask him since she wasn’t in the band or in any of his music classes.

Jared hadn’t really cared either way but had decided it was a good thing when he saw how happy his parents were to hear he was playing music again. 

Tracy had been excited from the start. That wasn’t really surprising though. She was excited about most things these days. Apparently, spending six months as a cat had given her a fresh outlook on life. It wasn’t unusual to hear her rhapsodizing about things like chocolate and clothes and hands. Evan had tried to get Tracy to take his spot in the band, but Alana had insisted that she needed a back-up singer.

And that was how Evan had gotten stuck trying to learn how to play the drums for a talent show that was now less than a week away. His mother had been helping him as much as possible, but her time was limited and Evan knew he wasn’t trying as hard as he probably should be. He could tell his mother was still baffled by his desire to learn how to play. The fact that his mother was more confused by his sudden interest in the drums than she had been by the existence of vampires said a lot.

“Did you get any of that?” Heidi finally asked. She absentmindedly twirled the drum stick around in her hand while she studied his face.

“Yeah, see, getting it isn’t the problem,” Evan said quickly. “It’s the part where I actually do what you said. The part where I do it in front of other people.”

“I still say we just let him get up there and hyperventilate to whatever rhythm he wants,” Jared suggested. “I mean, look at the way he’s twitching. I bet if we put the drum sticks in his hands right now, it actually wouldn’t sound half-bad.”

“I’m not doing this,” Evan decided. He stood up and backed away from the drums. And he meant it. He’d let this go on long enough. 

“We need a drummer,” Connor reminded him.

“My mom can do it,” Evan offered. He blinked at the others as they stared at him. “I-I didn’t agree to this. I don’t… I can’t…”

Heidi put a hand on Evan’s shoulder and nodded. “It’s a little unorthodox, but if you really need-”

“Don’t you think it’ll look strange?” Jared wondered. “Having a parent up there with us?”

“It rained blood this afternoon,” Evan retorted. “If people didn’t think that was strange-”

“It rained blood?” Bennie interrupted. He put his book down and squinted at Evan. “When did that happen?”

“I-I don’t know,” Evan shrugged. “Around four, maybe? I mean, I think it was blood. There were red droplets falling from the sky. The bus driver told us it was a trick of the light, but…” 

“I’ll add it to the list,” Jamie sighed.

“What list?” Jared asked. 

Evan nodded to show he shared Jared’s confusion. He looked around the room and could see they weren’t the only ones trying to figure things out.

“We should tell them,” Zoe said quietly. She met her Watcher’s stare and held it until he looked away.

“There have been signs pointing to…” Bennie cleared his throat and glanced at Jamie.

“We’re dealing with a possible apocalypse,” Zoe filled in.

“What?” Connor spun around to glare at his sister. 

“You know those dreams I’ve been having?”

“Yeah,” Connor nodded.

“Well, Bennie thinks they mean someone – or something, rather – wants to open the Hellmouth.”

“So, we’re going to stop them, right?” Jared asked shrilly. “Because that can’t be good.”

“We’re working on it,” Zoe assured him.

Evan looked up when he felt his mother’s hand squeeze his shoulder. “This is what you’ve been doing all year?”

“Sort of,” Evan muttered.

Heidi shook her head as she looked at his friends. “And none of your parents know?”

Evan swallowed anxiously. He knew this part bothered his mother. She had taken the rest of it better than he’d expected. She’d asked a lot of questions, but they’d been the curious kind. She hadn’t been skeptical or scared or upset. She hadn’t told him he couldn’t do this anymore. She’d only asked to talk to Bennie once and to take a look at his training room.

She felt guilty that she knew and the other parents didn’t though. She didn’t completely get what Zoe was, but it bothered her to think that the Murphy siblings were putting their lives on the line every night without their parents’ knowledge. Evan also knew she’d considered telling Jared’s parents the truth about Henry. Common sense had finally prevailed though when she realized that wouldn’t go over well at all. 

“Mine do,” Alana said. She shrugged when Connor raised his eyebrows at her. “What? They do.”

“It’s usually best to keep these things secret,” Bennie said lightly. 

“I understand that, but…” Heidi sighed when she saw the look on Evan’s face. “I’m going to go start dinner.”

“Wait,” Bennie said quickly. “You work in the hospital, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Heidi nodded. 

“Have you seen or heard anything unusual this week?”

“More unusual than usual?” Heidi laughed. She stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. “Well, there was a baby born with striped skin yesterday. The doctors chalked it up to some kind of strange skin condition, but they couldn’t come up with a name for it.”

Evan automatically turned to watch as Jamie added that to her list. 

“Do you know when this is happening?” Alana asked Jamie. “Because we should tell the coven.”

“Where is it happening?” Connor wondered. “Do we even know where the Hellmouth is?”

“Under our school,” Alana replied. She tilted her head when Bennie and Jamie looked at her in surprise. “That’s what my grandmother always said anyway.”

“That would make sense,” Bennie nodded slowly.

“We’re expecting it to happen with the next moon phase,” Jamie told them. 

“And that would be when exactly?” Jared asked.

“This Saturday,” Jamie said quietly.

“This Saturday,” Alana gasped. “As in four days from now?”

“As in the night of the talent show?” Tracy added.

Evan almost felt like laughing when he heard Jamie’s reply. It wasn’t funny. None of this was funny. But he had to admit it did sound about right.


	47. Chapter 47

Patrolling was surprisingly boring. Jared stifled a yawn as that thought crossed his mind. It wasn’t like he’d expected it to be a non-stop thrill ride, but he’d been expecting more than this. 

“You’re bored,” Zoe observed wryly.

“What?” Jared sputtered. “No… This is… Is that a hand?”

He couldn’t help sounding hopeful as he nodded at a grave by the gate. 

“It’s a twig,” Zoe laughed. “You can go if you want. It’s quiet out here tonight.”

Jared nodded slightly. He didn’t know why he was surprised. Bennie had told them it would most likely be quiet. All the signs pointed to a calm before the storm. 

Zoe had still insisted on patrolling though. Jared had volunteered to go with her because everyone else had opted to stay in and take advantage of the quiet. Evan was either working on an essay or his drumming or both. Jared wasn’t sure. Evan had said it so quickly that his words hadn’t made sense at all. Alana and Tracy were meeting with the coven to go over their plan. Their theoretical plan. As far as Jared could tell, no one actually had a plan for how they were going to stop the Hellmouth from opening. Or, if they did, they had yet to share it with the rest of the class.

And Connor was grounded. Or as good as grounded, from the sound of it.

“So, what’d he do anyway?” Jared wondered.

“Who?”

“Connor,” Jared grinned. “Why’s he in trouble?”

“He…” Zoe glanced upward and shook her head. “He got an A on his science test.”

Jared squinted at her quizzically. “And your parents were expecting him to get an A+?”

“They think he cheated,” Zoe explained. “Connor hasn’t gotten an A on anything since… I don’t know. Middle school, maybe? I think he used to get A’s in English before he, uh, you know… stopped caring.”

“They grounded him because they think he cheated?”

“He’s not grounded. He just couldn’t sneak out tonight. Dad’s asking him all these questions so he can prove he actually knows the material.”

Jared opened his mouth to assure her that Connor did. He knew Connor had studied because Evan had made sure he did. Evan had made sure they all did, including Alana and Tracy. That part had been kind of hilariously unnecessary. Jared had decided not to worry about the test (what was the point of worrying about a science test when the world was about to end?), but the girls had taken the time to study. 

And Connor had studied with Evan. And gotten an A. Which was quite possibly the strangest thing Jared had heard all week. 

Zoe put a hand up to silence Jared before he could speak. He blinked as she moved closer to him, as she put herself between him and…

His brother. 

Jared inhaled sharply when he spotted the vampires. There were three of them. Amy and two men with their game faces on. Jared had never seen Henry’s vampire face before, but he still recognized his brother immediately. 

“We come in peace,” Amy sang out. She put her hands up and nodded for her followers to do the same.

“What do you want?” Zoe demanded.

“To save the world,” Amy beamed. “Well, to prevent it from ending at least.”

Zoe’s forehead furrowed as she glared at the vampires. “You expect me to believe that-”

“We don’t want the Hellmouth to open,” Amy cut in quickly. “That’s not our style. It’s like I keep saying, why should we get rid of all the humans? Where’s the fun in that? What would we eat, for one? And, honestly, life would be so boring without humans. You’re all so entertaining, so…” Her teeth glinted in the moonlight as she tried to think of the word. “Fetching.”

Zoe raised her eyebrows at Jared before turning to face Amy again. “So, you-”

“Go for the eye,” Amy told her.

“What?”

“When the time comes, go for the eye.” 

Zoe stepped forward as they turned to go. “That’s it?”

“What more do you need?” Amy rolled her eyes. “You’re the Slayer. Slay the demons before they open the seal.”

“And go for the eye,” Zoe said uncertainly.

“Exactly,” Amy grinned. “Good luck…”

Jared spun on Zoe as soon as they left. “You’re just going to let them go?”

“It wouldn’t have been a fair fight,” Zoe pointed out. “Three against one.”

“Three against two,” Jared reminded her. He made a face when he saw her point. “Or, yeah, three against one because I’d be killed in the first minute.”

Zoe bit her lip as she studied his face. “The one on the right… Was that your brother?”

Jared’s mouth snapped shut as he blinked at her. “What?”

“You, uh, you looked like you knew him.”

Jared nodded numbly and stared at his feet. He was starting to suspect Henry was the reason she’d let the vampires go. Part of the reason, at least.

“So, go for the eye,” Jared muttered. “Does that mean anything to you?”

“Not really,” Zoe shook her head. “But, I have a feeling it will tomorrow.”


	48. Chapter 48

The sound of a violin screeching somewhere to his left made Connor feel like someone was flossing his brain with steel. He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to tune out the noise. It wasn’t that easy though. The entire band room was filled with music and chatter and sounds he couldn’t believe his classmates were comfortable making in public.

At least their band wouldn’t be the worst one to take the stage. If they even made it up there. Connor was starting to have his doubts. Zoe and the witches were still patrolling around the school. They’d been outside for nearly an hour and, as far as he could tell, nothing had happened yet.

Of course, it was entirely possible that there was a whole war going on out there without his knowledge. He had been relegated to research duty with Evan and Jared. Which, as far as he could tell, was just a semi-polite way of making sure that they stayed out of Zoe’s way. He really didn’t think they were being particularly useful just then. He didn’t know how they were helping Zoe by poring over dusty books about demons. It wasn’t like she was out there checking her phone for further information.

Connor straightened up when he spotted Bennie heading their way again. It was weird seeing Bennie like this. It was like he was a teacher. A real teacher, like this wasn’t part of his cover. 

“Anything?” Connor hissed.

“Nothing,” Bennie muttered. He glanced over his shoulder quickly before kneeling down to talk to them. “Though, I will say I don’t think we have anything to worry about. If the world didn’t end after that last rendition of Beethoven’s Fifth, nothing will make it stop.”

Jared snorted and elbowed Evan. “On a scale of one to ten, how much are you currently hoping we get dragged to hell before it’s our turn?”

Evan wrinkled his nose and glanced out the window. “Was that a…”

Connor craned his neck to watch, but whatever Evan had seen was gone.

“There are three of them,” Bennie whispered. “A trio of brothers. Two have been dispatched. The third is still on the loose.”

“Great,” Jared sighed. “Should we help?”

Bennie shook his head quickly. “You know the plan.”

Connor rolled his eyes. Of course, they knew the plan. The plan that required the three of them to stay in and read up on demons with weak eyes. The plan that had benched all of them, including Bennie – though he refused to admit it. He kept saying the coven was still getting used to having a Slayer in town. That they were still accustomed to having to solve things like this on their own. Connor had a feeling the coven would have tried to keep Zoe out of the fight if Jamie hadn’t spoken to them about it.

“And, besides, you’re up next,” Bennie grinned. There was something about his smile that made Connor think he wasn’t happy about the fact that he was stuck spending his evening babysitting the students who were participating in the talent show.

“We’re next?” Evan squeaked. “But Zoe’s still…”

“Are Alana and Tracy coming, at least?” Jared wondered.

“Alana’s outside somewhere and Tracy’s still guarding the lobby,” Bennie replied. “She just had to stop a family from going outside.”

Connor cursed under his breath as he stood up. He didn’t get embarrassed easily, but he suspected this would test his limits as far as that went. Their “band” was barely a band. Alana could sing and Tracy’s enthusiasm made up for her mediocre voice. Zoe could play the guitar, of course, and Jared actually wasn’t bad at the keyboard. Evan was still a disaster though. Connor still wasn’t entirely sure how they’d convinced him to stick with the act.

Not that Connor was much better. He’d only bothered learning one chord because he’d figured Zoe would be the primary guitarist. 

He should’ve known she’d be off chasing after demons when it was time for them to take the stage.

“Okay, so, change of plans,” Connor announced as they followed Bennie down the hall. “Jared’s doing a solo.”

Jared froze in his tracks and glared at Connor. “What?”

“Do you really want to go up there with us?” Connor rolled his eyes. 

“Your family’s here to see you play,” Evan reminded him.

“So?” Connor shrugged. He looked away quickly when Evan turned to stare at him. His eyes narrowed dangerously as Jared started babbling about how unfair this was.

Connor didn’t care about that though. The more he thought about it, the more he realized this was for the best. His parents wouldn’t understand if he went out there without Zoe. They would question her all night and she was going to be exhausted enough as it was. This way, he could take the blame. He could tell them he bailed and Zoe tracked him down to see what was wrong. Let her preserve what was left of her reputation.

Connor didn’t say any of that out loud though. He kept his head down and gave Jared the middle finger when he wouldn’t let up.

“Great,” Jared sighed. He tilted his head to scowl at Connor. “I don’t have any of my music with me. What am I-”

The sound of glass breaking made them jump. Connor barely had time to dive out of the way before a large green demon with purple horns and a third eye where his stomach should have been came barreling down the hall. The demon didn’t seem to notice them. Or, if he did, it was obvious he didn’t care at all. He grunted once as he glanced over his shoulder to watch Zoe jump through the broken window and run towards them.

“It’s the stage!” Zoe yelled breathlessly as she went by. “The Hellmouth’s under the stage!”

Connor blinked at her words, but Bennie’s reaction was instantaneous. He took off after Zoe with a speed Connor hadn’t known the Watcher was capable of.

“Should we, uh…” Evan started uncertainly. 

Connor didn’t bother responding. He simply nodded and hurried towards the stage.

The curtains had just finished closing when they got there. Connor watched as a pair of dancers ran down the stairs to the hall. He could hear them mumbling about gangs and drugs and freaky costumes as they flew by.

The stage was dark with only a dim light shining above. Connor could barely see in front of him. He stumbled forward when Jared walked into him. At least, he assumed it had been Jared because he knew Evan would have apologized profusely. 

There was a sudden clanging sound, following by a bang, and an almost deafening thump as something flew through the air and landed in front of them.

“Get back,” Zoe ordered as she charged across the stage. 

Connor caught a glimpse of something shiny as she pulled a knife out of her holster and…

Some kind of wet sludge splattered across the stage. Connor was glad his mouth was closed because the demon’s eye must have been filled with pus. He jumped back and wiped at his face as his eyes finally began to adjust to the dark. He could faintly see that Evan and Jared were doing the same. Bennie was standing off to the side with Jamie while she waved her arms and recited something in Latin.

“Was that-” Connor began. His voice was quickly drowned out by a high-pitched squealing sound as the curtains swung open and a spotlight illuminated them for all to see.


	49. Chapter 49

The curtains closed as quickly as they had opened. Faster, even. They slid across the stage so swiftly that Zoe knew someone had cast a spell on them.

She swallowed sharply as she stood up and wiped her hands on her jeans. Her mind felt strangely blank as she tried to focus on what was happening.

The demons were dead. The Hellmouth hadn’t opened. She’d saved the day. She had single-handedly saved the day. 

The world, really. She’d saved the world.

The coven had helped some, she supposed, but they hadn’t taken the demons down. That had all been her.

Zoe started laughing when she rocked back on her heels and felt something squishy slide around under her foot. There were demon guts in her shoes. She didn’t know why that was funny, but it was.

Her laughter cut short when she looked at the demon below her. She turned to ask Bennie what they were going to do about him, but her Watcher was speaking into a microphone and announcing that there would be a short intermission while they cleaned the stage. Zoe snorted when she heard him say that the audience had just witnessed a student protest. 

Her amusement faded when she realized what that meant. There was no way out of this one. She’d been in the middle of the stage with a spotlight on her. There was no way she could deny that she had been a part of this.

Zoe pushed that thought out of her mind and focused on the body again. She wrinkled her nose as she poked at it with her foot. She was suddenly overwhelmed with a new appreciation for vampires. At least, they had the decency to vanish when she slayed them. No mess, no fuss. Just a pile of ashes in the air. 

She opened her mouth to ask Bennie for her instructions but changed her mind when she spotted Alana and Tracy run in from the wings.

“We’ve got this,” Alana said breathlessly. She nodded over her shoulder as three members of the coven stepped forward.

“Your parents are looking for you,” Tracy told Zoe. 

Zoe shut her eyes and nodded. She’d expected as much. She knew her parents would have a lot to say about what they’d witnessed. She’d known they wouldn’t waste any time reminding their children that they were supposed to be laying low, not causing a scene in the school auditorium. 

Zoe caught Connor’s eye and nodded. He followed her out. Zoe was relieved when she realized that Jamie was behind them.

“It’ll be okay,” Jamie whispered. She squeezed Zoe’s arm and attempted to smile. She gave up the attempt as soon as she saw her sister’s face.

 

They drove home in silence. That part wasn’t unusual. It wasn’t unusual for the four of them to drive in silence. It was better that way. 

Zoe wished she’d gone with Jamie. She knew that wouldn’t have gone over well, but she would’ve liked the chance to strategize before facing her parents.

The silence ended as soon as they were all seated at the kitchen table. Zoe stared at her hands and tried not to let her parents’ words get to her. She nodded along as they lectured her about responsibility and actions having meanings and the importance of having a good reputation. She kicked Connor under the table when he started laughing. He rolled his eyes at her and slouched down in his chair.

“What were you protesting?” Cynthia wondered. Her eyes widened as she looked from Zoe to Connor and back again. “I couldn’t tell. It… It wasn’t clear at all.”

“We were protesting the fact that the government monitors how people live their lives,” Connor said. “How they have eyes everywhere. That’s what the, uh-”

“The monster with the eye,” Cynthia nodded eagerly. “Who was in the costume? It was so realistic.”

Zoe snorted and shook her head. She didn’t know why she was surprised that Connor had come up with a lie that quickly. She knew her brother was an expert at making up stories on the spot. It was something he excelled at when he was sober, at any rate.

“It wasn’t a costume,” Zoe told them. Her heart sped up when she realized what she’d said. She could see the wheels turning in Connor’s head as he debated how to fix it.

“What she means is-” Connor began.

“I’m a Vampire Slayer,” Zoe said. She folded her hands in front of her and looked her mother in the eye.

“That’s our band name,” Connor filled in quickly. “We’re the Vampire Slayers… It’s a working title.”

“There is no band,” Zoe laughed harshly. “Not really anyway.”

The room was silent for a moment as everyone turned to stare at Zoe. She sighed and leaned back in her chair. She could see the confusion on all of their faces. Her parents didn’t understand what she was talking about. That was obvious. Extremely obvious. Connor didn’t understand what she was doing and Jamie looked almost sad.

“What are you…” Larry muttered. He raised his eyebrows at his wife and shook his head. 

“Vampires are real,” Zoe plainly said. “That thing on the stage was a demon. It’s my job to kill them.”

“Your job?” Larry scoffed. “What is this? What are you-”

“I just thought you should know,” Zoe shrugged.

“Oh, sweetie,” Cynthia said lightly. “You really haven’t been sleeping, have you? I’ll call Dr. Andrews on Monday and ask if she can refer someone. Or what was the name of that… the doctor Connor saw last year?”

“I’m not crazy!” Zoe snapped. She slapped the table and cringed when a crack formed in front of her.

“I didn’t say-” Cynthia whispered.

“What did you take?” Larry demanded.

“What?” Zoe chuckled.

“What did you give her?” Larry turned on Connor. “This is-”

“This is real,” Zoe insisted. “I’m not crazy. I’m not on drugs. I was chosen to do this.”

“Chosen?” Larry repeated. He stared at the ceiling in disbelief. “By who?”

Zoe closed her eyes and began the recitation. She’d heard it so many times she knew it by heart. "Into every generation, there is a chosen one. One girl in all the world. She alone will wield the strength-” 

“What is this? Do you think this is funny?”

“-and skill to stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. To stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. She is the Slayer." 

Zoe straightened herself up and stared at her parents. “You don’t have to believe me, but it’s true. I’m tired of hiding it from you. I saved the world today. I stopped a group of demons from opening a portal to hell.” 

She blinked her eyes and took a breath. “This thing has turned my life upside down. I’ve lost friends. My grades have suffered. I’ve been scared and confused and… I keep thinking I’m messing everything up, that people are dying because I’m not saving them. I keep…”

Zoe swallowed as she stared at her hands again. “I don’t know if telling you will make things better, but I’m tired of feeling uncomfortable in my home. I’m tired of lying and sneaking around and pretending that I have a constant nosebleed. I’m tired of you looking at me… at us…” She glanced at Connor quickly and nodded. “I’m tired of you looking at us like we’re a disappointment. Because we’re not.”

Zoe stood up and shoved her hands in her pockets. “Ask Jamie if you don’t believe me. She knows.” Zoe smiled slightly as she glanced at the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go take a shower. I still have demon guts in my hair.”

 

Connor was waiting for her when she got out of the shower. That wasn’t a surprise. She hadn’t expected to be left alone after her announcement. 

“What the fuck was that?” Connor snapped.

Zoe grabbed her hairbrush and flopped onto her bed. “It was time.”

“How was it time?” Connor demanded. “You know they’re down there fighting about what to do with us. They’ve locked themselves in Dad’s study with Jamie and-”

“If they come up here with straitjackets for us, I’ll fight them off while you go out the window,” Zoe grinned.

“That’s not funny.”

“Yeah, well…” Zoe shrugged. “I couldn’t do it anymore. You know school’s going to be bad on Monday. Everyone’s going to be talking about us again. They were just starting to forget about the gym and now we’re the weirdos who… I don’t even know how they’re going to make sense of this one.”

“At least, we won’t be the only ones this time.”

“I guess,” Zoe nodded. She knew he had a point. Evan and Jared had been there too. Their classmates would be talking about all of them.

“What do you want me to tell our parents?” Connor wondered. He stood up when she slid under her covers. “You know they’re going to have questions, don’t you?”

Zoe yawned and reached for her pillow. She hoped she’d finally be able to sleep through the night. She hoped she wouldn’t have any more nightmares for a while. She hoped she didn’t have to worry about the fact that not everything from her dreams had come true. That there were still things she suspected she’d have to face later on.

Zoe decided not to worry about that just then. She willed her mind to go blank as she shrugged her shoulders. “Tell them whatever you want. I’m going to bed.”


	50. Chapter 50

Evan closed his eyes and wished he could unsee the headlights. If he hadn’t seen them, then he wouldn’t be stuck in this position. He wouldn’t be standing by the window with his mother’s voice echoing through his brain. He knew what she’d say if she could see him. She’d ask why he couldn’t pick up the phone and tell Mr. Fink that he’d left his headlights on. 

Evan could think of several responses to that question, but he knew none of them would be good enough for his mother. She’d remind him that he had known Mr. Fink since he was a child. She’d tell him there was absolutely no reason why he should be scared of talking to their neighbors. She would say it didn’t matter that it was late because Evan should’ve been able to look at their house and see that they were still awake and make the call that would save them from having a dead battery in the morning.

The thought of lying to his mother didn’t occur to Evan because he knew she’d see through it. She’d know the second he started stammering about how he hadn’t looked outside all night.

Evan glanced into the living room and considered waking Jared up to do it. That would be the least Jared could do for him after he’d let him come over and eat almost everything in their fridge. Except Evan knew that wouldn’t go over well. The last time Evan had woken Jared up for something, Jared had retaliated by drawing penises on all of Evan’s notebooks. 

Granted, that had been five years ago, but the memory still stung.

Evan breathed a sigh of relief when the lights went off on their own. His relief changed to confusion and then to panic when he realized that he hadn’t been looking at the Finks’ car after all. 

Evan threw the door open when he saw Connor walking up to the house. His mind went straight to apocalypse when he thought about the fact that was almost 2 AM. Because what else would make Connor come to his house in the middle of the night? Apparently, there were usually at least three to four almost-apocalypses a year. Alana had told him that so cheerfully that he thought she meant it to be reassuring. Except it hadn’t been. It really hadn’t been. Not even a little bit.

He was about to tell Connor that he could have the honor of waking Jared up when he realized that Connor was looking at him strangely.

“What?” Evan asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Evan laughed. “You’re the one who showed up at my house at two o’clock in the morning.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Connor shrugged. “Do you have any food?”

“Um, cereal, maybe?” Evan frowned. He tilted his head as he studied Connor’s expression. “Don’t you have food at your house?”

“Yeah, like I was going to stay there tonight,” Connor scoffed. He brushed past Evan as he made his way to the kitchen. “Zoe told our parents she’s the fucking Slayer.”

Evan did a double take as he hurried to catch up with him. “She what?”

Connor rolled his eyes as he started opening the cabinets at random. “You have a lot of marshmallows.”

“My mom likes them,” Evan muttered. “So, Zoe told your parents?”

Connor nodded angrily. He grabbed two bowls from the shelf and poured the cereal. Evan resisted the urge to say that he wasn’t hungry because that didn’t seem like a polite thing to say. And because it occurred to him that it would be awkward to sit there watching Connor eat.

“How’d they take it?” Evan asked softly.

“How do you think they took it?” Connor snapped. “They were in denial at first. They would’ve had us committed if Jamie hadn’t been there to talk them down.”

“You think they would’ve had you committed?” 

“Wouldn’t be the first time they’ve considered it… for me at least,” Connor shrugged. “Jamie explained it to them though, so they’re… Not okay, but… I don’t know. They want us to keep pretending we’re in a band. That way they can tell anyone who asks that Bennie’s mentoring us. That there really isn’t anything inappropriate going on.”

Evan cringed at the thought. “Okay, but we’re not really going to have to play, are we?”

“No,” Connor retorted. “You’re off the hook.”

Evan breathed in quickly. That was a relief. He actually thought he might continue his lessons though. He was starting to think he might get better at the drums if there wasn’t any pressure for him to learn. And he liked the fact that it made his mother spend time with him. He liked that she liked the fact that he was part of something she could understand. He didn’t think he was ready to give that up yet. 

“Mom’s convinced she can help Zoe have a normal life,” Connor went on. “She’s trying to come up with a schedule for her because that’s exactly what Zoe needs – our mother micromanaging her life.”

Evan nodded absentmindedly as a thought popped into his head. “Do they know you’re here?”

“No,” Connor laughed. His cheeks puffed out as he looked to the side. “I mean, I didn’t know I was coming here. I just needed to get out and… I drove by and saw your lights were on, so…”

“Should they know you’re here?”

Connor smirked as he pulled his phone out and composed a text. “Staying… at… Evan’s…” He put his phone down and took a bite of his cereal. “Better?”

Evan shook his head slightly. “I guess? Except we don’t have an extra bed. There’s a cot downstairs somewhere, I think.”

“I can sleep on the couch.”

“Jared’s sleeping there tonight.”

“Jared’s here?”

“Yeah,” Evan nodded. “He came over after the talent show. He, uh… His parents forgot about it and he-he didn’t feel like going home.”

Connor squinted at him knowingly. “So, I should try to be nice to Jared because he has crappy parents?”

“I didn’t say that,” Evan said quickly. “He… It’s just hard for him, okay? His parents are so wrapped up in their-their grief that they keep forgetting they still have a son living under their roof.”

“That-” Connor chuckled as he looked up suddenly. “Is that Jared snoring?”

Evan couldn’t help laughing too. “Yeah…”

“No wonder you’re still up,” Connor grinned. “I’m not sleeping in there. Can I crash on your floor?”

“I guess,” Evan said uncertainly.

“It’s fine,” Connor assured him. “I can sleep anywhere. Just give me a blanket, if you have one.”

“Okay,” Evan agreed. He inhaled sharply as he was overwhelmed with the need to say what he was thinking. He didn’t know why. Probably because it was late and he was somewhere between being exhausted and wide-awake and…

It was bothering him. It wouldn’t stop bothering him.

“I keep thinking about something Jared said before he passed out,” Evan muttered.

“What’s that?” Connor asked curiously.

“He asked how I would’ve spent the day if I’d known that the world was definitely going to end last night.”

“And that was a brain stumper for you?”

“Kind of… I mean, I’d never really thought about it, so….”

“You’ve never thought about dying?”

Evan’s head snapped up in alarm. He quickly dropped his gaze and stared at his hands. “I didn’t say that.”

“I used to think about that kind of thing all the time. What I’d say, what I’d do, if I knew I wouldn’t be around the next day… Of course, I didn’t actually do any of it whenever I…”

“Whenever you?” Evan squeaked. His heart felt heavy as it pounded in his chest. He didn’t know if Connor was watching him. He couldn’t bring himself to look up. 

“Whenever I thought about killing myself,” Connor said lightly.

Evan swallowed dryly. He forced himself to sit up and glare at the sink. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I know you get it,” Connor admitted. “I wasn’t going to say anything. I didn’t want to freak you out, but… I saw your phone when we were at Sarah’s house.”

“My-” Evan started.

“The video of you in the tree,” Connor filled in. “I didn’t get it then, but… You let go, didn’t you?”

Evan could feel the color draining from his face as he finally turned to look at him. “What?”

“You panicked when you heard where the pixies were. The way you kept going on about it… I don’t know. It made me wonder.”

“I…” Evan stood up so quickly that his bowl almost toppled over. “I’m going to bed.”

“You’re mad,” Connor observed.

“I’m not mad. I just don’t feel like talking about this right now.”

“Or ever, I’m guessing.”

“Why do you want to talk about it?” Evan shook his head. “It’s in the past. It’s… You’re not still… Are you?”

“No. Are you?” Connor countered.

“No,” Evan mumbled. “I mean, I never really… It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t like I thought it out and… I just… I don’t know. I let go because I-I could let go.”

“Okay,” Connor nodded.

“Okay?” Evan laughed. He squeezed the back of his neck and stared at the door.

“I was just checking.” Connor smiled slightly when he caught Evan’s eye. “So, is it still okay if I stay here or…”

Evan didn’t know what to say. It was tempting to tell Connor to get out. To get out and never talk to him again. About this, at least. To never discuss anything like this ever again. 

He glanced at Connor out of the side of his eye and was surprised by what he saw. Connor didn’t look amused. He didn’t look like he was trying to be cruel. He didn’t…

He looked concerned. Evan didn’t know what to make of that. 

“Yeah,” Evan finally said. “You can stay if you want.”


	51. Chapter 51

“And she’s not even making a turkey for Thanksgiving,” Alicia moaned. “She’s making a ham. Can you believe it? What kind of person makes ham for Thanksgiving?”

Alana put the spoon down long enough to squint at the screen. “Aunt Sue, apparently?”

“Apparently,” Alicia nodded. “Can you, I don’t know, can you, like, zap me some turkey or something?”

“You really don’t get how magic works, do you?”

“Nope,” Alicia said smugly. “So, can you?”

“Just eat the vegetables if you don’t want ham.”

“I don’t like vegetables.”

“You like mashed potatoes,” Alana said soothingly. “Fill your plate with those.”

“Did I tell you I have to work tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Alana mumbled. She looked around wildly as another timer went off. It took her a second to realize it was the one by the sink. It took her another second to remember that was the one for Tracy’s tofurkey. She wished her mother would hurry up and come back down. She hadn’t realized it would be this difficult to keep an eye on everything while her parents were getting dressed.

“Is that tofurkey?” Alicia wondered. 

“It’s for Tracy.”

“She’s back to being a vegetarian then?”

“She never stopped,” Alana shrugged. “So, you’re working tomorrow?”

“Because my boss is an idiot who thinks people will want to-” Alicia’s face scrunched up as she looked over her shoulder. “Did I tell you how he yelled at me the other day? It was dumb. I was only a minute late and-”

“You said you were fifteen minutes late,” Alana reminded her.

“So? Uncle Louie never cared if I showed up late.”

“He cared. He just let it slide most of the time because you’re his niece.”

Alicia made a face at the camera. “I’m going to go. Tell everyone I said hi.”

“Will do,” Alana promised. She shut her laptop as soon as the call ended. 

Alana knew she should probably feel guilty about the fact that she didn’t particularly miss her sister, but she had to admit that things were calmer without Alicia around. And this was better for Alicia. It was better for her to be somewhere she couldn’t fall back into her old habits. 

Alana ducked out of the way when her mother came back to the kitchen. She gave a quick update on how things were progressing before hurrying down to her room. 

She didn’t need to do much to get ready for dinner. She was already dressed and it was a lowkey kind of night. Just her immediate family and Tracy, who no one really saw as a guest anymore.

Tracy was sitting on Alana’s bed and staring at her phone. That wasn’t unusual. It wasn’t unusual for her to go downstairs without being invited. Alana knew Tracy still felt more comfortable hanging out in Alana’s room than Alicia’s old one. She’d only agreed to take that one because Alana’s parents had insisted that she deserved to have a room of her own after spending six months as a cat.

“What’s wrong?” Alana asked. 

“My mom just called me,” Tracy said shakily. “She… Your dad saw her in the store yesterday and told her I’m staying here.”

“Oh,” Alana blinked. “What’d she say?”

“Nothing much. She said it’s good to know I’m still alive and… She said I should come pack up my things if I’m not coming home. She didn’t seem upset, just… I don’t know. She said they’re thinking about selling the house and getting a condo in Westport.”

“You know you can stay here, right? My parents don’t care and-”

“I know,” Tracy nodded. “And it’s not like I was planning to go back anytime soon.”

“Families can be tough,” Alana said sympathetically. 

“Yeah, I know,” Tracy sighed. “I know how your sisters treat…”

Tracy stopped speaking and clumsily pushed her hair behind her ears when she saw Alana’s face. 

Alana turned away to face the mirror while she pretended to debate which earrings she wanted to wear. She hated this. She hated how weird things got whenever something reminded them of the things Tracy had observed during her time as a cat.

Because Tracy remembered everything, even the things she’d seen while she’d been licking herself. 

It was weird and awkward and kind of comforting in a way. They’d been friends for years, but Alana had never shared that much with her. Nothing real. Nothing about her family and how she felt about them. Nothing about how alone she felt.

And now she knew that Tracy had gotten a front row seat to everything in her life. That she’d watched and listened and understood when Alana babbled on about whatever was on her mind.

Alana really should’ve known better. She should’ve done her research and figured out that she was talking to someone who was aware of everything that was happening.

She hadn’t though. And, after the first few weeks, she’d mainly seen Tracy as a cat. A weirdly intelligent cat, but a cat nonetheless. 

“So, are we having canned cranberry sauce or homemade?” Tracy wondered. 

“Both,” Alana replied quietly. “It’s the only way to keep the peace around here. Otherwise half of us would be fuming all through dinner.”

“Oh, good,” Tracy beamed. “That’s what my family does too. I like to mix them together.”

Alana grinned as she looked over her shoulder. “And I told Mom to make you a tuna casserole. You know, in case you’re feeling catty tonight.”

Tracy rolled her eyes and wrinkled her nose. “Ha ha. Very funny.”

Alana smirked as she finished adjusting her earrings. 

“You know, I’m seriously considering becoming a vegan,” Tracy said as they climbed the stairs. 

“There’s butter in all the veggies,” Alana informed her.

“Next week then,” Tracy decided. “Next week, I’m going vegan.”


	52. Chapter 52

Evan nearly dropped his phone when he saw who was calling him. He could feel his face heating up when his mother turned to look. He quickly angled the phone so that she couldn’t see the screen, but he could tell it was too late.

“Your father’s calling you?” Heidi gasped.

Evan nodded mutely and ignored the call. It had been a while since he’d seen that name pop up on his phone. It was weird when he stopped and thought about it. The fact that he had his father’s number saved under the contact name ‘Dad’ was probably the only normal thing about their relationship.

“Why didn’t you pick up?” Heidi asked.

“I didn’t feel like talking to him,” Evan shrugged. He looked away when he saw her expression. She was disappointed. Disappointed and confused and… Something else. He couldn’t put a finger on it.

“And, besides,” Evan continued shrilly. “They’ll be here any second. I can… I’ll call Dad back later.”

“You promise?”

“Yeah,” Evan nodded.

And he meant it. Sort of. Maybe. 

His phone buzzed to let him know that his father had left a voicemail. Evan puffed his cheeks out as he decided he should listen to it. It was possible his father actually had something important to say after all.

Evan felt numb as his father wished him a happy Thanksgiving. He could hear voices in the background. A lot of voices, including a boy calling for his dad. Evan swallowed sharply when he heard his father tell the boy to wait a minute.

Evan dropped the phone on the couch as soon as he was done listening. It wasn’t unusual for his father to call him like this. It wasn’t exactly normal either though. It was just something he did at random when it occurred to him that he should check in with Evan. 

The doorbell rang and Evan was relieved that his mother didn’t make him answer it. He needed a second to collect himself before getting up to greet Jared’s family. His mother had invited them over when he told her that Jared’s parents had decided not to go anywhere for Thanksgiving.

Jared hadn’t seemed disappointed about it. He’d actually seemed relieved that he wouldn’t have to face his extended family. He’d only moaned about the foods he’d be missing out on.

Evan had a feeling Jared would be disappointed when he saw what they were having. The Hansens had a long-standing tradition of eating turkey sandwiches and watching Charlie Brown on Thanksgiving. They had not changed the food part of that because they were having guests over. Mainly because they hadn’t had a chance to go to the store.

Evan stopped worrying about their lack of food as soon as he saw the Kleinmans. It wasn’t hard to tell that things were tense between them. Jared was glowering at the floor while his parents made small talk with Heidi.

“What’s wrong?” Evan hissed once their parents had moved into the dining room.

“What?” Jared grinned. Evan did a double take when he saw how quickly Jared’s demeanor had changed. “Nothing.”

“You looked-”

“My parents lectured me the whole ride here,” Jared said excitedly. “My mom asked me how my college applications are coming along and I told her I haven’t really worked on them yet and they got mad.”

Evan tilted his head in confusion. “And that’s a good thing?”

“Yeah,” Jared beamed. “It’s definitely a good thing.”


	53. Chapter 53

Zoe bounced up and down as she forced herself to look away from the mirror. 

There was nothing wrong with her reflection. She closed her eyes as she repeated that to herself again and again.

There was nothing wrong with her. She looked fine. Her hair was shiny and neat. Her clothes were actually clean for once. They even matched in a way that she knew would make her mother happy. 

She could do this. She could get through this. She could spend the afternoon playing the part of the perfect, respectable daughter.

The spot on her chin was just a pimple. It was in no way a scale.

Connor was sitting at her desk when she finally emerged from the bathroom. She narrowed her eyes as she watched him flip through the papers their mother had drawn up. She fought back the urge to accuse him of invading her privacy.

“She made a pie chart?” Connor laughed. “She thinks you should only spend ten percent of your time being the Slayer?”

“She’s trying,” Zoe said softly.

“She’s delusional,” Connor scoffed. His forehead furrowed as he jabbed at something on the paper. “Why did she put dating on here?”

“What?” Zoe frowned. She reached for the sheet, but Connor snatched it away. 

“Don’t tell me Mom’s scheduling your dates now.” He waved the paper in the air as he stared at her. “Are you even seeing anyone?”

“No,” Zoe retorted. “Are you?”

She regretted the question as soon as she saw his face. It had been an instinctive one. The kind of comeback she always used when she felt like he was invading her space.

“You know I’m not,” Connor snapped.

Zoe nodded slightly. She’d assumed as much. Not that she’d really spent much time thinking about it, but she didn’t think Connor was seeing anyone. She was actually fairly certain that Connor had never had a girlfriend. Or boyfriend. Or date. 

She was kind of curious when she stopped and thought about it, but she didn’t feel like getting into that just then. They’d made a pact to stick together on Thanksgiving. To make sure that neither of them had to face their relatives alone.

Zoe absentmindedly patted her head and sighed when she didn’t feel anything unusual.

“No horns?” Connor smirked.

“Shut up,” Zoe snapped. She narrowed her eyes as he started to laugh at her. “It’s not funny. Bennie said the aspect could show up anytime now.” 

Zoe felt dizzy as she thought about it again. She scratched at her arm and wished that her first instinct had been right, that she just had dry skin. Or poison ivy. She wished she’d fallen on a patch of poison ivy.

Bennie hadn’t been able to give her any specifics. He’d simply said that the relentless itching sounded like she’d absorbed some of the demon’s blood. Some of the hideous, mouthless demon’s blood. She didn’t even know how it had happened. She’d killed the demon the night before, but she hadn’t felt any blood land on her. She hadn’t seen any blood on her arm. She would’ve noticed that. She was sure she would have.

Or maybe she wouldn’t. She had been a bit preoccupied. There had been two of them and one of her and she’d just been happy to make it out alive. She hadn’t even gotten upset when the second one ran away.

“It’s probably nothing,” Connor told her.

“Nothing?” Zoe asked incredulously. “He thinks I’m going to have an aspect of the demon. That’s…”

She couldn’t finish that thought. The whole thing made her feel gross, like there was something disgusting brewing inside of her. 

She squeezed her eyes shut when she heard their mother call them to come greet their guests.

“Come on,” Connor said calmly. “I promise I’ll drag you out of the room the second I see you’re growing a tail.”


	54. Chapter 54

“Are you sure you don’t want any?” Cynthia asked as she crept up behind Connor. He jumped off the stool before she could dump any eggs on his plate.

“I feel like having cereal today,” Connor said quickly. He looked away when he saw the disappointment flicker across his mother’s face. He knew she meant well, but he couldn’t handle eating another one of her high-protein, heart-healthy breakfasts. This one looked like something a dog had thrown up. He knew Zoe would eat it when she came down. Zoe thought it was the least she could do to appease their mother. And she was the one the meals were actually aimed at anyway. Their mother was determined to provide Zoe with all the calories and nutrients she needed to be a healthy Slayer.

Connor sighed as he poured his cereal. Even that was healthy now. So healthy that it tasted liked cardboard. It was still infinitely better than whatever was sizzling in his mother’s pan though.

Zoe stumbled in and froze with her arms up in mid-stretch when she saw the eggs. “Oh… What did you make today?”

“Eggs with turkey, tomatoes, and kale. I threw in a bit of oregano to give it some flavor.”

“And fish oil?” Zoe’s eyes narrowed with disgust.

“I didn’t say fish oil,” Cynthia said briskly. Her head tilted as she stared at the counter.

“But, you…” Zoe blinked and shook her head. She chuckled as she looked at her father. “You haven’t heard?”

Larry frowned as he put the newspaper down. “Heard what?”

“About the game…” Zoe’s eyes widened as she glanced around the room. “You just said-”

“I didn’t say anything,” Larry replied.

“You did,” Zoe insisted. She looked around for support and frowned when she realized she wasn’t getting any. “You said you were wondering who won and-”

“I was thinking about it because I’m reading the sports section,” Larry said slowly. “That’s all.”

“You…” A hand flew up to Zoe’s mouth as she leaned back against the counter. “I did get enough sleep last night… And I’m not stressed out… And-” She grinned as she turned to face Connor. “You’re right. This has got to be some weird magic thing.”

“The aspect,” Connor said. He laughed when he realized they’d spoken in unison. “You can-”

“Read minds?” Zoe nodded. “Yeah, I… Oh my God. Do you think this is it? This is so much better than a tail.”

“I don’t know,” Connor said uncertainly. “We should probably-”

“Call Bennie,” Zoe finished. “Or Jamie.” She rolled her eyes at her brother. “Yes, I can hear you…”

“Just testing,” Connor muttered. He dropped his head down as he ate his cereal. He didn’t know what to think of this. He didn’t want to think at all. He didn’t like the idea of Zoe, or anyone for that matter, being able to hear his thoughts. He willed his mind to go blank as he tried to direct all his energy towards chewing.

“Is this a normal skill for a Vampire Slayer to have?” Cynthia wondered. 

“Not really,” Zoe admitted. “I killed this demon the other night though and…” She cut herself off when she saw her parents’ expressions. 

“You killed something?” Cynthia whispered. “Again?”

“Mom, I-”

“What part of the phrase Vampire Slayer don’t you understand?” Connor scoffed.

“I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Cynthia murmured. “I mean, I know you… But… Do you kill a lot of things?”

“There are a lot of demons out there,” Zoe said softly. “It’s my job to-” She closed her eyes before turning towards their father. “It is my job. I didn’t choose it, but I’m the only one who can do this. I… I thought you understood that part at least.”

Connor glanced up long enough to watch their parents exchange a look. He knew they were still struggling with this, which wasn’t really surprising. It hadn’t even been a full week since they’d found out. He had a feeling it would be a while before they could wrap their minds around it.

“I’m going to get dressed,” Larry announced.

“Was that the dryer?” Cynthia chirped. “I should go check…” She swooped down and kissed the top of Zoe’s head. “Eat your eggs.”

Zoe pushed her plate away once they were gone. Connor couldn’t blame her. It really did look like…

“Great, thanks,” Zoe laughed. “Now I’m going to think about dog vomit every time she cooks me breakfast.”

Connor made a face as he got up. “You want to head over to Bennie’s?”

“And stop for donuts,” Zoe grinned. “Your treat.”

Connor resisted the urge to flip her off as they left the room.

 

“So, you’re telling me she can-” Jared started.

“Ten,” Zoe said automatically. “Ninety-nine, two thousand eight hundred eleven, eighty-eight, five, four, three… Really? You’re not even trying to stump me now.”

“Okay,” Jared nodded dazedly. “So, we have a Slayer who can read minds. Awesome.”

Zoe breathed in quickly as she spun around to face Evan. “You really think that?”

“What?” Evan muttered. “No… I mean…”

Evan practically tripped over himself as he hurried out of the room. Jared glanced at the others before following him out.

“What was he thinking?” Connor demanded.

“No,” Zoe shook her head adamantly. “I’m not doing that. I’m not going to compromise everyone’s privacy more than I already am.” 

Bennie tapped his forehead as he continued to flip through the text in front of him. “That’s noble of you, but-”

“Unrealistic,” Zoe finished. “I guess… I don’t know. It’s weird. You all think a lot.”

“Can you hear us thinking in here?” Jared called from the kitchen. “Because we can go outside if-”

“I can’t hear you,” Zoe called back. “So-”

“I think Jamie has a book in the basement that might have something about this,” Alana said swiftly. “I’ll go check.”

“Me too,” Tracy nodded. 

“Okay, so, this isn’t going to win me any friends,” Zoe sighed. She rolled her eyes when she looked at Connor. “Go ask him if it’s bothering you.”

Connor decided to do just that. He didn’t bother telling her that though because he could tell she already knew.

Jared was laughing and Evan was blushing when he stepped into the kitchen. Connor frowned as he looked at the two of them. “What’s going on?”

“I was just asking Evan if Zoe-”

“Shut up,” Evan snapped. His whole face was red, even his ears.

“I’m just saying, this has to be your worst nightmare, right? Well, maybe not your worst. We already dealt with that, but this has to be up there on your list.” Jared grinned as he rocked back on his heels. “I know if this had happened last year, you definitely would’ve had a heart attack.”

“Why’s that?” Connor asked curiously.

“Because of his whole Zoe-” Jared stopped speaking when one of Evan’s elbows flew into his side. “Ow…”

“Your whole Zoe what?” Connor frowned.

Jared almost looked remorseful when he glanced up again. “Nothing… Okay, not nothing. And not just Evan, I guess. We both kind of…”

“You like Zoe?” Connor realized. “That’s what she heard you thinking?”

“What?” Evan gasped. “No.”

“You have a thing for her?”

“No,” Evan repeated. “I mean, I did. I guess, but…” Evan sighed as he squeezed his eyes shut. “I used to think she was… I don’t know. But then the whole gym thing happened and-”

“You stopped having a crush on her because of the gym?” Jared laughed. “See, I thought that made her, like, ten times more interesting… Until I realized she was probably in a gang and then, well, you know…”

Connor was glad they couldn’t read his mind because he didn’t know what to make of that. It wasn’t surprising, he supposed. People always liked Zoe. They definitely liked her better than they liked him. And he couldn’t blame them. Not even a little bit.

“That’s really not what she heard you thinking?” Jared asked. “I was sure… I mean, Bennie said we were all going to start thinking about whatever we didn’t want her to hear.”

“No,” Evan mumbled. “I… It’s none of your business, okay?”

Evan shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered back towards the living room.

“Sheesh,” Jared rolled his eyes.

“We should probably go help with the research,” Connor decided.

Jared made a face and followed him out.

 

Connor met his father’s stare and held it until Larry started laughing.

“You’re going to a football game?”

“It was Zoe’s idea,” Connor muttered defensively.

“You’re going to a football game?” Cynthia smiled with her mouth closed in what was obviously an attempt to keep herself from laughing.

“Yeah,” Zoe shrugged. “I figured why not? It’s the big Stormyvale-Westport game and…”

Connor smirked when she turned to glare at him. “She wants to try out her new power.”

“I do not,” Zoe said stiffly. “I just… I don’t know. Maybe I do. Bennie’s looking for a cure and-”

“A cure,” Cynthia cut in. “So, this is an ailment?”

“I’m not sick or anything,” Zoe replied quickly. “He’s just being overly cautious. He’s afraid it’ll get worse or… I don’t know. I’m fine though. Really.”

“Maybe you should stay home,” Cynthia said slowly.

“Oh, let them go,” Larry grinned. “I’d go with them if I didn’t have that conference call tonight.”

“I’ll be fine,” Zoe assured them. “Our friends are meeting us there and… I don’t know. It’s like you were saying, Mom, I’m in high school. I should take the time to do normal high school things.”

“I did say that,” Cynthia nodded.

Connor poked at his plate as his parents started reminiscing about their school’s games. He forced himself to nod along and tried to ignore the pounding in his chest. It had been his idea to come home for dinner. Zoe had suggested they grab something before the game. He’d forced his mind to stay quiet when he told her he’d promised their mother they’d eat at home.

“So, I think I’m almost done with my college applications,” Connor said suddenly. He looked down as his parents turned to gawk at him.

“You are?” Cynthia asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Connor nodded. He looked up and caught Zoe staring at him. He met her stare and silently said he hoped her plan to give people their privacy didn’t extend to their parents. She blinked as she watched him. He kept his eyes focused as he tried to let her know that this could work out for both of them. That they could steer the conversation in a way that would let them both find out what their parents were really thinking.

He told her to cough once if she was game.

“Excuse me,” Zoe coughed. She rubbed her neck and dropped her gaze.

“Where are you applying?” Larry wondered.

Connor rattled off the names slowly so that it would give his parents a chance to think about each school individually. He glanced at Zoe and she nodded slightly.

“I don’t know if I’ll get into all of them… or any of them, actually, but I’ve been doing a lot better this year.”

Connor looked down as he started regretting this decision. His parents weren’t saying anything. They weren’t even showing any emotions. His father seemed distracted. He was probably thinking about his call. And his mother kept looking at Zoe like she was dying.

He didn’t know what he expected to get out of this. He didn’t even know if he’d believe whatever Zoe told him they’d been thinking.

He cursed internally when he noticed that Zoe was watching him sadly. He shook his head and told her to forget it.

“We should go,” Zoe finally said. She took one last bite of her casserole to make their mother happy. “We should be back before midnight. I’ll call you if it runs late.”

As he followed her to the car, it occurred to Connor that he didn’t know if they had a curfew. He’d never been in a position where he had to ask. He’d gone out at night before, of course, but never to something that his parents knew about. 

“So, what did you used to do at night?” Zoe grinned. “Besides get high.”

Connor froze and looked at her in alarm. “I thought you were trying to respect people’s privacy.”

“Yeah, by not telling other people what they’re thinking. Not by ignoring everyone’s thoughts. Because that’s really not possible right now.” Zoe’s expression turned obnoxiously smug as she squinted at him. “You went to the library? Even before Jamie came back to town?”

Connor narrowed his eyes at her as he unlocked the car. “I hate you.”

Zoe’s grin widened as she beamed at him. “No, you don’t.”


	55. Chapter 55

Connor was a surprisingly good driver. Of all the things Zoe had learned about her brother, that had to be the strangest. Zoe had always assumed that Connor was the human embodiment of the phrase ‘road rage.’ She’d never actually driven with him before they started working together, but she’d seen the way he sped out of the driveway. It had been all too easy to imagine what he was like on the road.

She’d asked him about it once when he stopped for a yellow light. A yellow light. A light that she totally would’ve coasted through. He told her that he took driving seriously because he knew that their parents could – and would – take his car away if he didn’t. 

That was why he didn’t speed or cut people off or do anything that would make the police pull him over. 

And that was why Zoe knew something was bothering him when he rolled through a stop sign. She raised an eyebrow and slid down in her seat. She would’ve asked what was wrong, but she didn’t expect him to answer. She shut her eyes as his thoughts continued to invade her head. They were loud and frantic and jumbled in a way that was hard for her to pick apart.

He was thinking about their parents and wondering what they thought of him. He wished that he had a flask or some weed that he could use to help him get through the game. He was freaking out about the fact that she could read his mind and kept telling her to butt out. 

As they got closer to Evan’s house, his thoughts kept sliding back towards something that Evan and Jared had been discussing earlier. Zoe frowned as she tried to piece that together. He kept dropping it before she could work it out.

Evan got in the car without even mumbling a greeting. He fastened his seatbelt and pressed his forehead against the window. Zoe didn’t need to be able to read his mind to see that he wasn’t exactly thrilled about this. Any of this. She couldn’t tell which part was more upsetting – the fact that she could hear his thoughts or the fact that he was going to a football game.

She bit her lip to keep herself from asking why he was going if he was that against it. He answered her question without realizing it when he started thinking about how exhausting it was to have friends and how he felt like he was doing this all wrong and…

Zoe shut her eyes and tried to push the thoughts out of her brain. She wasn’t successful. She hadn’t really expected to be, but it was starting to get to her. The thoughts were getting louder and more frequent and…

She let out a startled laugh as they pulled up to a red light. She looked down when the boys squinted at her. “The guy next to us has the Macarena stuck in his head.”

She wasn’t sure they’d heard her until she realized they looked amused. She was glad. She was glad they were amused because she was starting to feel like they could all use a laugh.

More than a laugh, really. Something to make them feel better. Something to make them stop dwelling on things she hated to hear them dwelling on.

Evan kept thinking about trees and falling and…

Zoe inhaled sharply as she tried to process everything she was hearing. She’d known Evan was anxious and lonely. That he felt invisible and useless and… She’d seen that. She’d read it. She’d read his posts on RISE and she could tell they weren’t completely fictional. 

She didn’t know what to do with this information. With any of it. Bennie had been right. Her friends had spent the whole afternoon trying so hard not to think about the things they didn’t want her to know that their minds hadn’t been able to stop drifting back that way.

She had learned all about Alana’s family and her doubts and how she thought she would never live up to her grandmother’s legacy. She’d heard how Alana was tired of trying to be perfect all the time. Of feeling like people wouldn’t care about her if she didn’t try to be perfect.

She’d heard how Tracy felt like she didn’t fit in with them. How she felt like they liked her better when she was a cat.

Jared’s thoughts had been like Connor’s in a way. They’d been scattered and all over the place. And he’d kept trying to mask them by singing to himself. Loudly. With lyrics that didn’t sound right.

Zoe kind of hated knowing things she shouldn’t know. She was starting to wonder how this would work in the long run. It had seemed fun at first. And useful. Bennie had pointed out that she could use it to predict how her opponents would attack during a fight.

But she was starting to miss being alone in her head. She was starting to miss not knowing everything about everyone.

She still had to admit it was better than having a tail though.

 

Zoe put a hand out to steady herself as she tried to keep walking. The voices were deafening and they weren’t even out of the parking lot yet.

_Shit. Did I hit that car? Mom’s going to kill me if I get in another accident…_

_Where’s my phone? Where’s my… Car. I left it in the car. Keys. Where are my…_

_Why isn’t he texting me back? I know he saw my text. He’s standing there, looking at his phone and…_

_Eww, what did I get on my shirt? Is that a booger? How did I get a…_

_I’m so hungry. Why am I so hungry?_

_Were we supposed to wear red tonight? Why didn’t anyone tell me?_

Zoe tripped over her feet and stumbled into Connor. She blinked as he stared down at her.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” Zoe muttered. She continued to blink as she watched Connor and Evan exchange a look.

_Oh my God. She really loves to hear herself talk, doesn’t she? Blah, blah, blah, shiny whatever…_

_So, then the mage will go to the mountain and… No, the valley! That’s so much better. I need to write that down…_

_I hate him…_

_We have a social studies paper due on Monday? How did I miss that?_

_I can’t believe I just snorted like that. He’s going to think I’m the biggest loser…_

_Don’t cry-don’t cry-don’t cry… Whatever you do, don’t start crying…_

_Yeah, okay, go ahead and make out with each other like I’m not standing right next to you…_

_Is he gay? I feel like he should be gay…_

_And, to think, we could all be at the movies now instead of…_

_Greg and Fi came together? I thought they broke up…_

_Am I the only one who didn’t get that question right? Why am I so stupid?_

_Is she for real? She actually expects me to…_

_Vanessa’s a cheerleader? Did I know that? I feel like I knew that…_

_Wow, okay, I think I’m in love…_

_And this is why I can’t have nice things…_

_I hate my hair. I mean, look at it. Why can’t I have hair like Katie’s? Her hair is gorgeous…_

_Why did I say that? I am such an idiot. I shouldn’t be allowed to talk to anyone…_

_Why are they laughing? Are they laughing at me? They’re totally laughing at me, aren’t they?_

_Dang, those are fighting words…_

_Wait, what? I think I missed something…_

_Yeah, and I liked that story when I told it to you last week…_

_Damn. Her ass looks amazing in those jeans. Like really…_

_If he says he likes her, I’m going to scream. Or cry. Or kick him really hard…_

_Where are they? They said they’d be here by now. I can’t stand here pretending to text all night…_

_I hate this song. Why do they play it at every game? Is it some kind of rule or…_

_And this is why I’m going to die alone. Like my aunt Millie. I’m going to have hundreds of cats and…_

_Ugh, this headache will not go away. What are the odds I have a brain tumor? I should google that…_

_Oh no, there’s Holly. Look away, look away. Don’t look at her. Pretend you didn’t see…_

_Did I put deodorant on today? Shit. I forgot to put deodorant on, didn’t I?_

Zoe rubbed her hands against the sides of her head as they approached the bleachers. The lights were blinding all around her and the noise was unbearable. The thoughts were everywhere. She was drowning in them. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t focus. She could feel Connor grabbing her arm. She heard him tell Evan to help. It was like she was underwater though. Everything sounded distorted and weird. She felt like she was floating. She allowed them to lead her to a bench. She allowed them to make her sit down.

_Why did I come here? I’m leaving as soon as it’s half-time. Sophie won’t care. She won’t even notice. I’ll leave and go home and they won’t notice I was even here. They won’t care until it’s too late…_

Zoe’s eyes snapped open as she looked around wildly. She tried to stand up, but it was too much. Her body swayed as she tried to gain her balance. It was no use though. 

She heard the sound of the referee’s whistle and then everything went black.


	56. Chapter 56

Jared had hated the memorial park for as long as he can remember. He’d hated it before he’d even started high school. He’d hated it even though he’d never actually set foot in it.

Because it was legendary. The way it grew, the way it never stopped growing, the way the school kept having to buy more stones for all the deceased students and teachers.

It was kind of funny when he stopped and thought about it. It was funny how no one in Stormyvale seemed to find it strange that the high school had an entire field dedicated to all the people who had died over the years. Jared didn’t know much about how other schools did things, but he was starting to think this was not normal.

The park actually wasn’t that bad. Objectively speaking, it was almost pretty. It probably would’ve been pretty if it weren’t for the engravings.

Henry didn’t have a stone. Jared knew that without looking. He’d been out of high school for almost a year when he died. The school had offered Jared’s parents the option of purchasing a stone for Henry, but they’d passed. 

Jared was glad they had. The park was creepy enough without having to worry about stepping on his brother’s name. He wove through the trees until he reached the clearing. His breath caught in his chest when he finally saw them.

He didn’t know what he’d been expecting. He knew his friends weren’t really getting wasted in the memorial park. He knew the people who ran up to him and gleefully said that Zoe was drunk, that Evan and Connor had practically carried her away from the field, were wrong. 

When he looked at Zoe though, he could almost see where they were coming from. She was sitting on the bench with her head in her hands while she rocked back and forth uncontrollably. She looked like she was having a seizure or some kind of fit. Alana and Tracy were sitting next to her. He could tell they wanted to put their arms around her but were too scared to try. Instead, they seemed like they were acting as human buffers who were responsible for keeping her from falling to the ground.

“Is she…” Jared started.

Alana looked up long enough to shake her head and put a finger to her lips.

Jared nodded numbly. He turned around when he heard leaves crunching behind him and watched as Evan and Connor returned.

“Any luck?” Alana whispered.

Connor shook his head irritably. “Jamie’s phone keeps going straight to voicemail. I texted her, but…”

“Bennie isn’t answering either,” Evan muttered.

“We should get her out of here,” Alana decided. “Maybe if there aren’t so many people nearby-”

“Wait,” Zoe murmured. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she forced herself to sit up. Alana and Tracy automatically put their arms behind her before she fell backwards. “Olivia…”

“Olivia?” Alana repeated. 

“Yeah,” Zoe nodded. “Olivia Ventura…”

“The invisible girl?” Jared frowned. 

Zoe nodded again. “She… Before I… I saw… I heard her. She… She said something about-about no one caring until…”

“Until what?” Alana asked.

“It was too late,” Zoe finished. She rubbed her eyes as she doubled over again.

“Okay,” Alana said quickly. “Tracy and I will find Olivia. We’ll talk to her.”

“Is that really necessary?” Jared scoffed.

Alana narrowed her eyes at him. “We’ll make sure she isn’t going to do anything… you know…”

“She’ll talk to us,” Tracy assured them. “Alana’s been keeping tabs on her since she became visible again.”

“I haven’t been keeping tabs,” Alana said defensively. “I just… I’ve been checking up on her. You know, making sure she’s okay.”

“It sounds like she just wants attention,” Jared shrugged. “She’s doing that whole dramatic ‘no one will care about me until I’m gone’ thing.”

“Except she thought it,” Evan pointed out. “She didn’t say it out loud.”

“And even if she had, you can’t go around making bullshit assumptions like that,” Connor snapped.

Jared cringed when he realized how much venom there was in Connor’s tone. He kept his eyes on the ground because he was too afraid to look up.

“Guys,” Tracy said quietly. “Zoe…”

“Why don’t we take her to my house?” Evan suggested. “It should be empty unless my mom decided not to go to Maggie’s. And, actually, I might ask her to stay put if she’s still there. She’ll know how to, uh… She doesn’t know how to treat supernatural things, but-”

“I’ll drive,” Jared offered. “We can take my car.” He breathed in quickly before meeting Connor’s stare. “That way you can sit in the back with Zoe.”

Everyone nodded as the girls helped Zoe stumble to her feet. Connor immediately reached out to grab his sister’s arm. He maneuvered her forward so that Evan could take her other one.

Jared was about to follow them out when he felt Alana sneak up behind him.

“I didn’t want to say anything while Connor was here,” Alana whispered. “He’s been…” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I got a text from my brother a few minutes ago. He said Jamie found a potion that should cure Zoe. Everyone in the coven’s out there trying to gather the ingredients.”

“That’s good, right?” Jared frowned as he studied her expression. 

“Yeah, except the last one is the heart of the demon that caused this. Or one like it, I guess, since that one’s dead.” 

“So-”

“So, I’m thinking that’s why Bennie and Jamie aren’t answering their phones,” Alana continued. She craned her neck to make sure the others were gone. “Alan said they’re working as fast as they can. He said if they don’t get the potion to Zoe soon that…”

“That what?”

Alana bit her lip and looked down. “She’ll go insane.”


	57. Chapter 57

There was a girl in Evan’s room. In his bed, to be exact. A girl in his bed. Zoe Murphy was in his bed. 

What did it say about him that with everything going on that thought still popped into his head? Jared hadn’t even said anything about it. This was the perfect set-up for Jared to torment him and he hadn’t said a thing. He hadn’t said this must be a dream come true for Evan. He hadn’t brought up his crush at all. 

Former crush, really, Evan thought. He still liked Zoe, of course, but he hadn’t thought about her that way for a while. Since the gym thing. He’d been telling the truth when he’d said that. He’d liked Zoe because she was pretty and nice and safe. Safe in the sense that he couldn’t imagine her making fun of him if she ever discovered his feelings. The gym thing had changed that. It made him reevaluate things.

The Slayer thing had cemented it for him. In many ways, it had made him admire Zoe even more, but not in a romantic sense. Not in a way that made it possible for him to imagine being with her.

Evan’s faced heated up as he choked out a nervous laugh. His hand immediately flew up to his mouth and he started chewing his nails. He swallowed sharply as he tried to rein in his thoughts. He really hoped Zoe hadn’t caught any of that.

It took him a moment to realize there was no reason for him to be embarrassed. No one was paying attention to him. They were too busy staring at Zoe as she tossed and turned and clawed at his sheets. And judging from the way she was acting, Evan was almost certain she was too far gone to focus on anything in particular.

Evan was glad his mother was there because she knew what to do. Sort of. As much as anyone could know how to handle something like this. She was good at thinking of ways to keep Zoe as comfortable as possible at least. That was more than the rest of them could say.

Evan watched as his mother slid off the bed and regarded them. “Anything?”

“Nothing,” Jared shook his head. He pulled his phone out and stared at it again like staring at it would magically make a text appear.

They hadn’t heard from anyone since they’d arrived at Evan’s house. They didn’t even know if Bennie and Jamie had seen their texts about Zoe’s location. Evan hoped they had. He hoped the silence was a good sign. He hoped it meant they were busy finishing the potion. He hoped it didn’t mean they were dead.

“Did you call your parents?” Heidi asked Connor.

Connor shook his head as Zoe grabbed her head and moaned. Evan winced sympathetically. That had been the worst one yet.

“You should call them,” Heidi insisted. Her lips pursed as she studied his face. “This should go without saying, but, if something like this ever happens to Evan, I am the first person you call. I don’t care what time it is. I don’t care if you think he’ll get in trouble for doing something stupid. You call me. Is that clear?”

“Yeah,” Connor muttered. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he ambled out of the room.

“We’ll call you,” Jared squeaked. His eyes went wide as he gawked at her.

Heidi smiled slightly when she caught his eye. “Hand me that pillow over there. We should try to prop her up. It sounds like there’s something in her chest.”

Evan wandered into the hall while they tried to adjust Zoe’s position. He spotted Connor sitting on the steps and went to join him. 

“Are your parents coming?”

Connor glanced at him quickly and shook his head. “I didn’t call them. They can’t see her like this.”

“Oh,” Evan nodded.

“They keep saying this is a phase,” Connor went on. “They think Zoe will wake up one day and decide she’s done being the Slayer. If they see her now, if they get how dangerous this is… It won’t be pretty.”

Evan couldn’t blame them. It still surprised him to see how calm his mother was about all of this. He knew she worried, but he didn’t think it had even occurred to her to ban Evan from helping out. She just told him to be safe and to let her know what was going on. She said it was worse if she didn’t know because then her mind started trying to fill in the gaps and that didn’t end well. 

“Do you think Zoe can still hear us?” Evan blurted out. “Individually, I mean. I keep trying to make my mind go blank so I don’t make it worse for her.”

“I don’t think so,” Connor mumbled. He ran a hand through his hair and scowled at the floor. “God, I hate this. Last year, I would’ve thought it was hilarious. I would’ve laughed my ass off because I would’ve been convinced that Zoe had done something to deserve it.”

“She’ll be okay,” Evan said firmly. “She’s going to be fine.”

“We don’t know that,” Connor retorted. “I heard you talking to Jared. I heard what he said. She’s going to lose her mind if she doesn’t get the potion soon. Look at her. It might already be too late.”

Evan stared down at his hands as they twisted around in his lap. He didn’t know what to say. He could see what Connor meant. He’d been wondering the same thing. He hated to admit it, but he had.

Their phones buzzed simultaneously. Connor glanced at his quickly and rolled his eyes. “It’s Alana.”

Evan pulled his phone out and read the text. “They’re taking Olivia out for ice cream.”

He regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. He regretted them as soon as he saw the expression on Connor’s face.

“Ice cream? Are you fucking kidding me? We’re here and they’re-”

“Zoe wanted them to help Olivia,” Evan reminded him.

“Do you really think this is helping her?” Connor scoffed. “If she’s going around thinking things like that… She needs help. Real help. Not whatever sunshiny shit Alana’s spewing.”

“No, I know,” Evan agreed. “You’re right, but for now-”

“Jared’s a fucking idiot.”

Evan cringed and nodded. “He can be…”

“What he said… That’s the kind of shit my dad said when I used to… He’d say I was just looking for attention. Like that was it. Like there couldn’t possibly be anything else to it.”

“I’m sorry,” Evan muttered. “That, uh-”

“You know, when I first heard about all of this, when I first heard we’re living on top of a fucking Hellmouth, I wondered if that was it. I thought maybe that explained everything. I mean, how is anyone supposed to be happy living in a place like this?”

“I’m sure it doesn’t help…”

“Yeah, probably not,” Connor sighed. He glanced down when his phone went off again. His face relaxed when he saw the text. “That was Jamie. They’re on their way.”


	58. Chapter 58

The sun was finally up when Zoe opened her eyes for the third time. Everything still felt disorienting and strange though. It took her a minute to remember where she was, to realize what events had led her there. She swallowed her panic when she looked down and saw the pajamas. Jamie had been in the room when she woke up the second time. Her aunt had told her that she had been the one to help Zoe into Evan’s mother’s pajamas.

She was alone this time. That wasn’t a surprise when she stopped and thought about it. She had a vague memory of begging everyone to leave her alone so she could sleep in peace.

She had needed it. She had needed to be alone, physically and mentally. It had been an exhausting night. She could still hear their voices, even though they were long gone. The joy, the pain, the confusion, the waves of emotions and thoughts that filled the heads of everyone she knew. 

There had been so much pain. She never would’ve imagined there was that much out there. There were so many kinds it was overwhelming. She couldn’t even begin to process it all. She didn’t think she wanted to try.

Zoe blinked as she looked around for a clock. She didn’t know how long she’d been out. It felt like she’d been sleeping for days or minutes or… something in between. Probably something in between.

Her stomach growled as she slid out of the bed. It felt like she hadn’t eaten in days. She thought it was safe to say that wasn’t much of an exaggeration.

The house was still dark when Zoe stumbled out into the hall. She passed a room that she assumed belonged to Evan’s mother. The bed was made and the shades were up, so Zoe figured that meant she wasn’t the only one roaming around the house. 

There was a light on in the kitchen, but that seemed to be it. Zoe lingered outside the living room when she heard someone snoring. She poked her head in and saw that the couch was made up like someone had been sleeping on it and there were three people passed out on the floor. When her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized that Jared was the one snoring away by the TV. Connor and Evan were sprawled out as far from Jared as they could get without actually leaving the room. 

Zoe jumped as Evan suddenly rolled over and swung his arm in Connor’s direction. She waited to hear the sound of Evan smacking her brother in the head, only to see that Connor was already awake and had scooted out of the way before he was hit. 

Zoe waited for Connor to sit up and see her standing in the doorway, but he was too busy watching Evan. Zoe couldn’t help smirking when she noticed that. Her amusement vanished when she realized she was trying to guess what was going through Connor’s mind.

She never wanted to know that again. Never ever. Not under any circumstances. Not even if someone paid her a million dollars.

It wasn’t that hard to figure out though, really. There were only a couple things that would make him stare like that. He could be staring blankly. He could be staring blankly at Evan because he was still half-asleep and his mind wasn’t awake enough to understand what he was staring at. Or it could a self-preservation thing. She was willing to bet that wasn’t the first time Evan had tried to beat her brother up in his sleep. Or it could be the third thing. The thing she didn’t want to think about because it was personal and she really didn’t feel like dealing with personal things just then.

That didn’t stop her from smiling into her hand when Connor finally propped himself up and blinked at her. A blur of emotions crossed his face before he pulled himself off the ground.

Panic, guilt, embarrassment… And, okay, she had to admit the third one was at least partially true.

“How’re you feeling?” Connor murmured. He yawned and stretched as he staggered over to her.

“Better.”

“No more voices?”

“Only my own,” Zoe grinned. Her grin turned into a laugh when Jared let out a particularly loud wheeze. “Did you get any sleep?”

“Some,” Connor shrugged. He rolled his eyes as Jared snorted again. “I wanted to put a pillow on his head, but Evan wouldn’t let me.”

Zoe put a hand on her stomach as it let out an audible growl. “Do you know what’s for breakfast?”

“Mrs. Hansen said we can help ourselves to anything in the kitchen.”

Zoe nodded gratefully and followed him down the hall. Evan’s mother was sitting at the table with Jamie and Bennie. All three of them looked up when the door swung open.

“Morning,” Zoe said quietly. She could feel them studying her as she stared at her feet.

There was a scraping sound as one of the chairs flew backwards. Zoe stumbled into the counter when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her.

“Oh, thank God,” Jamie whispered. She let go of Zoe long enough to look her up and down. “Are you feeling okay? Does anything hurt or-”

“I’m fine,” Zoe assured her. “I’m just hungry.”

“Okay,” Jamie nodded. She took a breath and gestured at the table. “I think we can fix that.”


	59. Chapter 59

“It’s a nice night, isn’t it?” Cynthia said serenely as the strolled through the cemetery. “I think you two are worrying about nothing. We’ve been out here for an hour and we haven’t seen anything strange.”

Connor clenched his teeth as he tried not to roll his eyes. “It isn’t night yet. The sun’s still up.”

“Does that matter?” Cynthia frowned.

Jamie cleared her throat before Connor could respond. “Traditionally, vampires and demons don’t come out until it’s dark.”

“Vampires can’t survive in direct sunlight,” Zoe added.

Connor kicked a pebble across the grass as his mother continued to yammer on about how this wasn’t nearly as bad as her children made it sound. He caught Zoe’s eye and shook his head. He didn’t know what she’d been thinking when she agreed to let their parents tag along. He knew their mother had been asking for days. He knew she was determined to see what Zoe did with her own two eyes. 

He also knew there was no way this ended well. What did they think would happen? This wasn’t a cheesy sitcom with the catchphrase ‘the family that slays together stays together.’ 

“Larry,” Cynthia gasped. Her eyes widened as she stopped in front of a headstone. “Cecil Montgomery. Did you know he died?”

“Last year, wasn’t it?” Larry nodded. “I heard a rabid dog bit him.”

Connor watched his parents and waited for them to second guess that diagnosis.

“Do you think…” Cynthia started shakily.

“It was probably a werewolf,” Connor shrugged. 

“Those are real too?” Cynthia breathed in sharply. “I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all. Is it really necessary for you to do this? I don’t…” She squeezed her eyes shut and stroked Zoe’s arm. “You’re seventeen. There must be other people who can do this.” She looked at Jamie for support. “Your-your council, is it?”

“Coven,” Jamie corrected. “We help, but Zoe’s the Slayer. That-”

“She hasn’t always been the Slayer though,” Cynthia cut in shrilly. “And you all managed without her before she... Can’t you…”

“This isn’t something I can just quit,” Zoe said firmly.

“Have you tried?”

Zoe blinked rapidly and shook her head. “You said you wanted to come. You said you-”

“If you’re looking for things to do, you could always help Jamie at the library,” Cynthia said brightly. “Or what about your band? I know you said there isn’t really one, but there could be, couldn’t there? You could start playing music with your friends and-”

“Mom…” Zoe’s shoulders shook exasperatedly.

“Don’t bother, Cynthia,” Larry muttered. “Can’t you see she’s made up her mind?”

“It wasn’t my choice,” Zoe insisted. “This chose me. I’m the only one who can do this.”

“Do what exactly?” Larry demanded. 

“How many times do I have to explain it?” Zoe moaned.

“Only once, if you can do it properly,” Larry retorted. “We still don’t understand-”

“Whatever happened to that boy Gavin?” Cynthia wondered. “Do you still see him at school?”

“We’re in the same math class,” Zoe said slowly.

“I always liked him,” Cynthia beamed. “Do you think there’s any chance you’ll get back together?”

“Gavin’s a fucking moron,” Connor laughed. He couldn’t believe his parents didn’t see that. He’d seen it and he’d been high both times Gavin had come to their house.

“Connor,” Cynthia warned.

“What?” Connor shrugged. “He is.”

“He really is,” Zoe agreed. “So, no, no chance.”

Cynthia’s face twisted to the side as she reached into her purse. “You know, I was talking to Laura after book club the other day and she mentioned that Paul isn’t seeing anyone.”

“Paul,” Zoe repeated. “Paul Ferguson?”

“So, you remember him,” Cynthia beamed.

“I remember he broke my Barbie when we were five,” Zoe scoffed.

“Well, I’m sure he’s grown up a lot since then,” Cynthia laughed. “I could set something up if you’re interested.”

“Mom,” Zoe hissed. She glanced at Connor and narrowed her eyes when she saw he was trying not to laugh.

“It’s just a thought,” Cynthia said quickly. “I was thinking maybe if you had a boyfriend-”

“I would stop slaying?” Zoe shook her head irritably. “This is unbelievable.”

“You’re seventeen,” Cynthia reminded her. “You shouldn’t be worrying about things like this. You should be-”

“Connor isn’t seeing anyone,” Zoe interrupted. “Why aren’t you-”

“That’s different.”

“Why? Because I’m a girl and Connor’s-” 

“It’s different. It’s…”

Connor glared at his mother when she opted not to finish that sentence. Part of him wished she had. Part of him wished she’d said what she was thinking. 

He wondered if it was any worse than what he was thinking.

Connor rolled his eyes as he watched the staring match between his mother and sister. It was becoming clear that Zoe didn’t know how to handle this. He didn’t know why she didn’t. She should know there were only two options for dealing with their parents when they got like this. You either stuck to your guns and walked away before they could wear you down or you let them think they’d won.

“Zoe already has a boyfriend,” Connor said casually. So casually that it was anything but. That didn’t seem to matter though. His family was too busy gaping at him to analyze his tone.

“She does?” Cynthia gasped.

Zoe’s head tilted the side as she stared at him. He had a feeling she wished she could read his mind at that moment.

“Yeah,” Connor nodded.

“Who?” Larry asked.

Zoe shook her head and glared at Connor like she couldn’t believe what he was trying to drag her into. Which was probably fair, but he’d come this far and it only seemed right to see it through.

“Jared,” Connor blurted out. Jared’s name had been the second one to pop into his head, but there was actually a method to his madness. He knew he’d have to explain it to Zoe later. He could tell she didn’t get what he was doing at all.

She needed their parents to back off though and this would do the trick. And Jared was a safe choice. They could explain that she was only interested in dating someone who knew the truth and there were only two guys who met that requirement. 

“Jared?” Cynthia repeated. “Your friend Jared?”

“Yeah,” Zoe muttered. She shot Connor a look and narrowed her eyes. “It’s new.”

“Oh, well,” Cynthia smiled as she turned to face her husband. “You should ask him to come over for dinner, so we can get to know him.”

“You already know him,” Zoe said exasperatedly.

“This is different though,” Cynthia insisted. “You should-”

“We’ll see if he can come tonight,” Connor grinned.

He looked away when he saw Zoe’s expression. He realized that he wasn’t being a particularly good brother just then, but it would be worth it when he saw how this made Jared’s head explode.

Not literally, he hoped. Even he didn’t want to see that.


	60. Chapter 60

The door flew open before they reached the top of the stairs. Jared gasped as Zoe dragged him into the house.

“You brought Evan?” Zoe yelped. “Why did you bring Evan with you?”

Jared looked over his shoulder and shrugged as Evan looked around uncertainly.

“He was with me when you called,” Jared replied. “I-”

“I-I can leave if it’s a problem,” Evan said shrilly. “There’s a bus stop down the street, isn’t there?”

“It’s too late for that,” Zoe sighed. “She already saw you.”

Jared didn’t know who the ‘she’ in question was, but he was grateful to her if it meant Evan could stay. He would’ve dragged Evan along even if they hadn’t been together when Zoe called. The idea of having dinner with the Murphys by himself was terrifying. Completely and utterly terrifying.

The kitchen door swung open and Connor stormed out. Jared sucked in a breath as he watched Connor zero in on his sister.

“What the fuck, Zoe?” Connor snapped. He glanced over his shoulder quickly and scratched at his neck.

“You saw Mom?” Zoe grinned knowingly.

“Why would you-”

“How’s the saying go?” Zoe tapped her chin thoughtfully. “What goes around, comes around?”

“I was trying to help you,” Connor hissed.

“You were not,” Zoe laughed. 

“I was…” Connor closed his eyes and took a breath. “Why would you tell her that?”

“I didn’t tell her anything,” Zoe whispered. “She came to that conclusion all on her own… I guess I could’ve corrected her, but-”

“You think?” Connor huffed. His face went blank as he stared out the window. “I didn’t even know she… that any of you…”

Zoe’s face went white as she stepped over to him. She lowered her arm when he shrugged her off. “Shit. I-I didn’t realize-”

Jared tilted his head as he stared at the two of them. “Okay, uh, what’s going on?”

Zoe squared her shoulders as she turned to face them. “My mom thinks I’ll be normal again if I have a boyfriend.”

Jared’s face scrunched up as he exchanged a look with Evan. “Okay…”

“So, Connor had the brilliant idea to tell her that we’re dating,” Zoe continued.

“We?” Jared blinked. “You mean the two of us?”

“Yeah,” Zoe nodded.

“Um, wow, okay, so-”

“That’s not all,” Zoe continued quietly. “Mom saw Evan and now she thinks…”

Zoe bit her lip as the kitchen door swung open again. She lowered her gaze when she saw her father standing there.

“Your mother said you need to set another place if Evan’s staying too,” Larry informed them.

“Okay,” Zoe nodded hurriedly. “We’ll take care of it.”

She grabbed Connor’s arm and led him into the dining room. Their father lingered in the hall a moment before heading back into the kitchen. Jared didn’t think he was imagining the fact that he had just undergone an inspection of some kind.

“Okay,” Jared nodded resolutely. “Did you follow all of that?”

“I-I think so,” Evan said hesitantly.

“You want to make a run for it?”

“That would be rude,” Evan pointed out.

“Yeah, but…” 

“We should stay,” Evan decided. “They’re our friends and… We should stay if this will help them.”

“Okay,” Jared shrugged. “But don’t blame me if you pass out from fright.”

“I won’t,” Evan mumbled.

Jared made a face when he realized Evan was serious. “All right, well, let’s hope the food’s good tonight at least. If it’s not, we’re going to Louie’s afterwards and you’re buying.”

“I don’t have any money.”

“Then your boyfriend’s buying.” Jared rolled his eyes when Evan’s mouth dropped open. “Come on. You know I’ll be bringing this up until the world ends for real.”


	61. Chapter 61

Evan kept trying to make himself look on the bright side. That was easier said than done, though he had to admit the dinner wasn’t shaping up to be that bad. The food was edible. That was a surprise. He’d heard Connor and Zoe describe their mother’s cooking on multiple occasions, so he’d been bracing himself for something disgusting. He didn’t know if it was good enough to make Jared decide to forget about going to Louie’s, but it could’ve been a lot worse.

Okay, so his heart was racing and he was starting to feel dizzy. The more he thought about this, the worse it got. How far was this going to go? His stomach dropped when he remembered the fact that his mother had been talking to Connor’s mother a lot lately. He was starting to get the impression that the adults were forming a club of some kind. His mother, Connor’s parents, Jamie, Bennie. He didn’t know if Alana’s parents were involved, but it wouldn’t shock him if they were.

Was this going to get back to his mother? Because that was not a conversation he wanted to have. He didn’t think it would bother her if she thought he had a boyfriend. That wasn’t it at all. She would probably be overjoyed at the thought of him dating someone, anyone really. He knew she would be upset that the Murphys knew before she did though. She would be hurt if she heard about it from anyone other than Evan.

Evan didn’t want to tell her because there was nothing to tell. If he continued to stay quiet throughout the rest of the dinner, then that really could be true. If he was able to stay silent the whole night, he could talk to Connor afterwards and tell him he should correct his parents’ assumptions. It was becoming clear that the Murphys were far more interested in Zoe’s relationship with Jared than whatever they thought was going on between Connor and Evan anyway. 

That was a relief. The fact that it let Evan remain silent was definitely a relief. He was beginning to think that was something he could, probably should, mention the next time he saw Dr. Sherman. Which was also a relief in a way because his therapist liked to discuss the things that made him anxious and Evan had spent the last few sessions avoiding that.

Because he had a feeling his therapist would recommend that he be committed if he started going on about vampires and demons and the very real possibility that he was involved in something that could get him killed before graduation.

It would be good for him to be able to talk about how nervous he’d gotten while having dinner at his friends’ house. It almost felt good to realize that things like that still got to him. It meant his life hadn’t completely changed.

Evan finally looked up from his plate when he noticed that no one was talking. He blinked as he glanced around at the others. A lump formed in his throat when he realized that they were staring at him. Staring in a way that made him feel like he probably should’ve been paying closer attention to the conversation.

“Wh-what?” Evan stammered. 

“I was just telling them you’re the reason Connor’s acing Environmental Science,” Jared smirked. He took a sip of his water in a half-hearted attempt at masking his laughter.

“Oh, uh,” Evan laughed awkwardly. “That’s, um… That’s not true. Connor’s smart. He would still-”

Zoe snorted and shook her head. “He wouldn’t be studying if you didn’t make him.”

“You’re the one who makes me study,” Connor countered. 

Evan lowered his eyes and breathed in quickly as the Murphys turned their attention towards Zoe.

“You make him study?” Cynthia asked. Her eyes lit up at the thought.

“How’d you manage to do that?” Larry asked incredulously. 

“She won’t let me patrol with her unless I pass my classes,” Connor told them.

“Oh.” Cynthia’s mouth dropped open as she glanced at her husband. “That’s-”

“See,” Zoe said quietly. She kept her eyes on her plate as she buttered her roll. “Some good is coming of this. It isn’t all bad, is it?”

“We didn’t say it was all bad,” Cynthia said quickly. “We just…” She cut herself off as she looked at their guests. She smiled when her eyes landed on Evan again. “So, you like science then?”

Evan squeezed the bottom of his shirt when he realized she was expecting an answer. “Um, yeah, I… Science is my favorite class.”

“Are you planning to major in it?” Larry wondered. He frowned as he glanced at Connor. “I assume you’re going to college?”

“Yeah,” Evan nodded. “Hopefully, I mean. I’ll-I’ll need a scholarship and… But, yeah, I’m thinking I’ll end up doing something in the scientific field.”

“What schools are you looking at?”

Evan sucked in a breath before listing the ones he’d applied to. The list wasn’t long, but it felt like it took him an eternity to choke out the names.

“You’re planning to stay in the area then?” Cynthia asked.

“Yeah, uh…” Evan picked up his fork and absentmindedly jabbed at a pea. “I don’t want to go too far away.”

“We keep telling Zoe she should be looking at schools in other states,” Cynthia said. “We think it’ll be good for her to get away from here.”

Zoe squeezed her eyes shut as she slumped down in her chair. “I can’t just leave. I’m-”

“Jamie said she thinks they can work something out if you go. She said-”

“She was being nice,” Zoe cut in sharply. “She was humoring you because you wouldn’t let it go. I can’t leave now that it’s a known fact that there’s a Slayer guarding the Hellmouth. That would be a disaster. Why can’t you get that?”

Cynthia closed her eyes in a way that made Evan think she was putting this topic on the back burner until her guests were gone. 

“What about you?” Larry fixed Jared with a pointed look. “What schools are you applying to?”

Jared’s eyes widened as he met his stare. “I’m planning to stay local too, so the same ones as Evan, actually.”

Evan’s head snapped up in surprise. He knew that had never been Jared’s plan. Jared had always loved talking about the day when he could hightail it out of Stormyvale. “I thought you were-”

Jared shook his head impatiently. “I can’t leave now. Not after Henry… It would be too hard for my parents if I moved away, so…”

Silence fell over them again, only this time it was awkward in a different way. Evan felt bad for Jared. He felt bad for not seeing the decisions his friend had to make.

“He blames it on his parents, but you know he doesn’t want to leave Zoe,” Connor smirked.

Evan lifted his head to glare at Connor. The joke had been in poor taste and badly timed and… Evan looked down again when Jared started laughing.

“Oh, well, yeah, there’s that too,” Jared grinned. 

Cynthia’s lips pursed as she squinted at him. “I hope that wasn’t the deciding factor for you. You all are too young to be basing your decisions on who you’re dating.”

“Mom,” Zoe hissed.

“It’s true,” Cynthia insisted. “It’s…” She froze a moment before she turned towards Connor. “Evan isn’t the reason you’re-”

“No,” Connor said sharply. “We haven’t even talked about where we’re applying.”

“You haven’t?” Cynthia asked him skeptically. 

“No,” Connor sighed. “We’ve been too busy dealing with other things to-” He rolled his eyes when he saw his parents’ expressions. “Busy helping Zoe fight demons and-”

“Is that how you all…” Cynthia gestured around vaguely.

Evan glanced up quickly and couldn’t decide if he was relieved that he wasn’t the only one panicking. They really should have talked this out before sitting down. He hoped Connor was good at making up stories on the spot because he didn’t think he was capable of doing anything other than nodding and smiling at that moment. And he wasn’t sure about the smiling part. It was very likely any smiles he attempted would come across as grimaces.

“I’m being nosy, aren’t I?” Cynthia smiled slightly. “I was just curious, especially about you two.”

Evan’s heart did a flip when he realized she was looking at him again.

“Connor’s never been the type to have friends, let alone a…” Her lips formed a thin line when she saw the way her children were gaping at her. “That’s not exactly a secret, is it? Zoe always said people thought...”

Her voice trailed off as she squinted at Connor. Evan knew that look. He’d seen it on his mother’s face multiple times that year. The mixture of happiness and confusion and disbelief she felt when she realized her son actually had a life now.

“We should go,” Zoe said suddenly. She dropped her knife and stood up abruptly.

Evan blinked as Connor did the same. He looked at Jared, who shrugged, before deciding that he should get up as well.

“Go where?” Larry demanded.

“We need to do a sweep of Sunny Hills Cemetery,” Zoe told them. “Bennie thinks a vampire’s going to rise there tonight.”

“We already patrolled though,” Cynthia reminded them. “I thought we did that so you could stay in. I don’t like seeing you go to school looking so tired.”

“We won’t be out late,” Zoe promised. 

“Hopefully,” Connor mumbled.

Cynthia’s shoulders stiffened as she decided not to fight it. “We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

Evan managed to nod and almost smile as he followed his friends out of the room. He had hoped this was just a weird one-time thing, but he was getting a sinking feeling it was not.

“Did I mention that this wasn’t my idea?” Connor muttered as they stepped outside. “This part, I mean. I’ll take the blame for Zoe and Jared.”

“No, I know,” Evan nodded swiftly.

Connor glanced at him a moment before looking away. “I would’ve corrected her, but…”

“But what?”

Connor laughed sheepishly. “It happened so quickly and she looked so happy that I couldn’t bring myself to… And then I started seeing red when I thought Zoe was messing with me and… You saw how that went.”

“Yeah,” Evan mumbled.

“I’ll tell her the truth when we get back,” Connor assured him.

“Oh,” Evan shrugged. He stared at his feet when he saw that Connor was watching him curiously. “I don’t really care if your parents think we’re…”

“You don’t?”

Evan’s hands twitched as he wondered if he’d said the wrong thing. He didn’t care though. Not really anyway. It wasn’t like he had to worry about making someone jealous or… When he thought about it, this really didn’t have to impact his life at all. He didn’t think it would bother him as long as he knew what to expect. Which meant they’d have to get their stories straight and talk things over and…

There was no way he was initiating that conversation while Jared was nearby. 

“No,” Evan shook his head. “Just do me a favor, okay?”

“Anything,” Connor promised.

“Make sure your mom doesn’t say anything to my mom.”

“Deal,” Connor grinned.


	62. Chapter 62

Zoe had been staring at the page for so long that the symbols had ceased to make sense. She was starting to wonder if they had ever made sense. Had she ever really understood how to do this?

“I still don’t understand why I was chosen,” Zoe mumbled under her breath. She glanced up long enough to fix Bennie with the fiercest glare she could manage.

“I chose you because you’re the best guitarist we have,” Bennie reminded her.

“That’s not true,” Zoe huffed. “Don’t let Leah hear you say that. Or Kevin, for that matter.”

“All right,” Bennie relented. “Will it make you feel better if I say I gave you the solo because you’re my favorite?”

“Really?” Zoe scoffed. “You have a funny way of showing it. You didn’t think I had enough going on so you decided to go and add to my to-do list?”

“You should be doing something other than this.” Bennie gestured at the weapon chest behind him.

Zoe frowned and slumped down in her seat. “Have you been talking to my mom?”

She shook her head as Bennie stammered out a reply that led her to believe he had. Because that figured. She’d told her parents the truth to make her life easier. She didn’t know why she had expected that to work. Maybe she really was as sleep-deprived as her mother thought she was.

“Is RISE down or is my phone acting up?” Jared called from his spot next to the Christmas tree.

“Why are you on RISE?” Bennie wondered. He reached for his laptop and typed in the address.

“Why are you on your phone?” Connor demanded. “Weren’t you the one yelling at us to stop what we were doing and finish decorating?”

“I wasn’t yelling,” Jared retorted. “I was simply pointing out that we should finish what we started.”

“I thought you said you were boycotting this,” Evan reminded him.

Connor nodded knowingly as he grabbed an ornament and shoved it onto the tree. “Yeah, weren’t you the one throwing a fit because Bennie doesn’t have any Hanukkah decorations?” 

“I brought a menorah.” Jared nodded at the fireplace. “And it’s fine. I’m cool with it. Bennie told me…” Jared stared at Bennie for a moment before looking down at his feet.

Zoe glanced at Bennie curiously. “He told you what?”

Jared scratched at his neck anxiously. “Nothing.”

Zoe stared him down until Bennie began to speak.

“Christmas was always my sister’s favorite holiday,” Bennie said quietly.

Zoe did a double take as she tilted her head at Bennie. “You have a sister?”

“Had,” Bennie whispered.

Zoe felt stupid when she heard the tremor in his voice. Stupid for not asking about her Watcher’s family before. Did he have a family? She felt like she should know that. She knew she should know that. She thought she kind of did. She vaguely remembered him saying something about his father and sister when he was high on band candy, but he hadn’t elaborated. She was getting the feeling there was a reason for that.

“Oh,” Zoe nodded numbly. She pushed her questions to the back of her mind until she saw the look on Jared’s face. It was clear that Jared knew something. That he somehow knew more about Bennie’s family than she did. She made a mental note to pry the information out of him the next time they were alone.

“RISE seems to be gone,” Bennie told Jared.

“Gone-gone?” Jared frowned. “It was working a couple days ago. I, uh… I’ve been following Henry’s page and he’s been posting a lot lately.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s been taken down,” Bennie replied. “Sites like RISE usually don’t last very long.”

“There have been others?” Zoe asked.

“Several,” Bennie nodded. “They’re fairly common now since there are more young people being turned. Your generation likes its technology.”

“Yeah, we do,” Zoe agreed.

“They tend to last a few months, maybe a year, before they disappear. Usually because the founders have been scolded by their elders. Most of the older vampires still try to avoid modern things. I’m actually surprised RISE lasted as long as it did. It was larger than the other sites I’ve seen. Definitely more thorough.”

Zoe looked away when she saw how disappointed Jared looked. She knew he was having a hard time coping with the loss of his brother. That had been one of the few coherent strands of thought he’d had when she could read his mind. She didn’t like to think about that. She suspected the day would come when she’d have no choice but to dust Henry Kleinman. She just hoped Jared didn’t have to witness it.

“Has anyone on our side ever made a site like RISE?” Zoe wondered. “It would be a good way of connecting…” She narrowed her eyes when she saw the smirk on Bennie’s face. “What?”

“This is about the Potential Slayers,” Bennie concluded.

“You still haven’t given me an answer,” Zoe reminded him.

“It’s complicated,” Bennie said tightly. “The Council has always prided itself on its ability to shield the Slayer and the Potentials from becoming-”

“I’m not saying we go public,” Zoe interrupted. “I can see what you mean about a RISE-like site being a mistake, but can’t I email them or skype or something?”

“I can give her Ana’s email,” Jamie offered. She looked up from her phone long enough to roll her eyes at the look of betrayal on Bennie’s face. “Her English isn’t the best, but I’m sure she’d be willing to talk to Zoe.”

“I’ll contact the Council again,” Bennie promised.

Zoe tried not to look too pouty as she picked up the sheet music again. She knew better than to actually expect a definitive response.

“How’s this look?” Tracy sat up straight as she waved the centerpiece she’d been working on in the air. “I think it needs some more holly. Alana said she’d pick some up on her way.”

“When did you say Alana’s getting here?” Jared wondered.

Tracy quickly lowered the arrangement and proceeded to pick at it. “Soon. They left her brother’s dorm an hour ago, so she should be here any minute now.”

“Oh,” Jared nodded absentmindedly. “Good.”

Zoe would have glared at Jared if she thought he knew the effect his words had on Tracy. She seemed to be the only one who could tell that Tracy was still uncomfortable around them. Zoe reminded herself that she probably wouldn’t have realized that if she hadn’t read Tracy’s mind. Thanks to that experience, she could tell Tracy wasn’t sure if it was okay that she had come to Bennie’s without Alana.

Zoe put her guitar down and moved over to the couch. “Hey, so I could use a girl’s opinion on something.”

Tracy blinked as she looked up. “Okay…”

Zoe absentmindedly twirled her hair as she realized she should’ve thought this through before approaching Tracy. She couldn’t help it. She still got excited when she thought she could help one of her friends with something she knew was troubling them.

She hadn’t had much luck with that so far. She knew better than to try talking to Connor about anything she’d heard him think. She liked to think she would get around to that eventually, but she didn’t know if she’d ever work up the nerve.

She’d tried asking Evan if he was okay once. She’d told him he could talk to her if he wanted and he’d looked at her like she’d suggested that the sky was orange. He’d stammered a response that she’d only half-followed. The general gist of it was that he did not want to talk about anything she may or may not have heard him think. She hoped that meant he was okay, that she’d misunderstood what she’d heard and was worrying about nothing.

Tracy’s problems were simpler by comparison. They were simpler and Zoe knew how to help. She knew how it felt to be alone in a group. To feel uneasy because you didn’t think you were friends with anyone in the room. 

Zoe felt that way a lot nowadays. French was the only class she had with any of her current friends. She spent the rest of the day with her head down, trying desperately not to attract attention. Generally speaking, people weren’t rude to her. Most of her classmates went out of their way to avoid her. The ones she had once counted as friends still tried to be polite. Nicole made sure to say hi to her every morning. Maya still sat next to her in Chemistry, even though they rarely spoke, and Jenny texted her so often that it sometimes felt like nothing had changed.

It had though. Zoe knew that. Everyone knew that. Everyone knew she was the girl who helped burn down the gym. The girl who helped stage the weirdest protest their town had ever seen. The girl who was part of the only garage band that never played at any parties. 

She hadn’t realized people were talking about that one until recently. Alana had mentioned that Olivia Ventura wanted to know if they could play at Sophie’s New Year’s Eve party. Alana had immediately said no and explained that their band was actually pretty terrible, but that hadn’t discouraged Olivia at all. She’d loved the idea of convincing her sister to hire the worst band in town. Thankfully, Alana had politely declined. 

Zoe picked at her hair and studied it. She still wasn’t sure what to ask Tracy about, but she decided hair was a universal topic. She could make that work. 

“My hair,” Zoe finally said. “I’m thinking about changing it again. I haven’t done anything to it since I put some red streaks in a couple months ago and those faded ages ago.”

“Oh,” Tracy nodded. “Okay, so, what’re you thinking about doing?”

“I don’t know,” Zoe started uncertainly. “Maybe-”

The sound of laughter spared her from having to answer. Zoe turned around to watch as her aunt jumped off the window seat and ran over to Bennie.

“Look what Oscar just sent me!” Jamie grinned as she shoved her phone at Bennie.

Bennie chuckled as he looked at the picture. “That was a disaster.”

Zoe leaned forward to look, but Bennie pulled the phone towards him before anyone could see. Or so she thought until she saw the look on Evan’s face.

“You killed Santa Claus?” Evan gasped.

“What?” Zoe leapt forward to snatch the phone out of Bennie’s hands. Her eyes widened when she saw the picture. It was a group shot featuring a bunch of people she didn’t know. Jamie and Bennie were the only ones she recognized, except for the not-so-jolly figure sprawled out below them. The not-so-jolly figure lying in a puddle of blood.

“He wasn’t Santa,” Jamie said quickly. “Not in the sense you’re thinking anyway. He was a demon. One in a line of demons that travel around the world on Christmas Eve with their flying reindeer.”

“Like Santa,” Evan nodded.

“Like Santa,” Jamie agreed. “Except instead of leaving presents, they disembowel all the children they visit.”

Zoe sat up straight as she glanced at the picture again. “So, there are others out there?”

“Yes,” Bennie nodded. “But you don’t have to worry about that. They usually prefer to stay in Europe.”

“Oh,” Zoe sighed. Her shoulders sagged as she leaned back in the cushions.

“Why do you look so disappointed?” Jared asked.

“Because it’s always been Zoe’s dream to kill Santa,” Connor smirked.

Zoe’s head shot up as she narrowed her eyes at him. “It has not.”

“She used to be terrified of Santa,” Connor went on. “Petrified.”

“I may have been slightly scared of him when I was a kid, but-”

“Slightly?” Connor laughed.

Zoe wrinkled her nose at him and turned back to Tracy. “Are you making anything else?”

Tracy didn’t seem to hear her. She was too busy staring at her phone. Her whole face lit up as she jumped off the couch. “Alana’s here.”

Zoe tried not to feel abandoned as Tracy ran off to let Alana in. She folded her arms across her chest and glowered at the boys while Connor continued to regale them with tales of the times she’d encountered Santa.

She stood up when Tracy and Alana came in. She was about to suggest they go decorate another room when she realized that Alana had stopped moving.

“What’s wrong with her?” Zoe asked. “Is she frozen?” 

Jamie whacked Bennie’s arm and gestured at the doorway. “Where did you get that mistletoe?”

“I picked it up at the market in Westport,” Bennie said defensively. 

“The one on Henderson Street?”

“Yes…” Bennie’s face scrunched up as he nodded at her.

“Half the vendors there are witches,” Jamie moaned. “Don’t you-”

Zoe spun herself around to see what had made her aunt stop speaking. She let out a startled laugh and quickly covered her mouth with her hand when she saw what was happening. She instinctively turned around to glare at the boys before they made this more awkward. She was surprised when she realized that wasn’t necessary. Connor was studying the tree like he was an architect studying a diagram. Evan was poking at something on the floor with his foot and Jared looked too shocked to react. Zoe didn’t expect that to last very long though.

Alana breathed in shakily as soon as Tracy let go of her. She took a step backwards and…

Immediately ran back out of the house. Tracy’s face hadn’t even finished turning red before she took off after her.

“So, uh, magical mistletoe is a thing?” Jared finally asked.

“They always have it at the coven’s holiday party,” Jamie explained. “I’m assuming that’s how Tracy knew what to do. I haven’t been around for the last few years, but you wouldn’t believe the stories I’ve heard…”

Bennie reluctantly stood up when she caught his eye again. “I’ll take it down…”

“Carefully,” Jamie ordered. “Because no one in here is unfreezing you if you get stuck under it.”


	63. Chapter 63

Alana hated awkward silences. That wasn’t an unusual opinion, she supposed. She felt like they got to her more than most people though. She always felt like there were things that had to be said and it bothered her when she couldn’t say them.

Especially when she had gone out of her way to give herself the opportunity to discuss the thing weighing on her mind.

She didn’t know how to start talking though. Which was unusual, but not totally unexpected. It wasn’t like she’d spent a lot of one-on-one time with Zoe.

She wished she could talk to Tracy about this. She knew that wouldn’t work though.

It really, really wouldn’t work.

“Hey,” Zoe said thoughtfully. Her chin jutted out as she pointed at the sky. “There’s a full moon out tonight.”

“Oh, yeah,” Alana nodded.

“Do you know anything about our town’s werewolf population?”

“Not really,” Alana shrugged. “Have you run into any yet?”

“No,” Zoe sighed. “I thought I saw one last month, but it was just a dog. A crazy big dog, but it had a collar and everything.”

“You think someone has a pet werewolf?”

“Nah,” Zoe laughed. “It was definitely a dog. It tried to lick me when I approached it.”

Alana smiled slightly. “You think we’ll run into one tonight?”

“Doubt it,” Zoe scoffed. “It’s been quiet out here lately.”

“That’s what you said,” Alana frowned. “Do you think we should be worried about that?”

Zoe breathed in sharply as she scanned the graveyard again. “I don’t know. Probably? The last time it was like this, the world almost ended.”

“Is Bennie looking into it?”

“Of course. He hasn’t found anything though. It’s freaking him out. He won’t admit it, but I can tell.” Zoe idly spun her stake around in her hand while she stared at the moon. “You can go if you want. I’m probably going to call it a night soon.”

“You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

“I’ve been patrolling by myself for a week now, so I think I’ll be fine.”

Alana froze and put a hand on her hip. “Connor hasn’t been coming with you?”

“He only likes this when he gets to see some action. Otherwise, it’s basically like taking a really long walk with his sister.”

“Not his idea of fun?”

“No,” Zoe grimaced. “Definitely not.”

“So, what is his idea of fun then?” Alana’s face twisted as she realized she couldn’t even begin to guess how to answer that question. She liked to think she was an observant person. She always felt like she noticed things that others didn’t. It stung when she felt like she was wrong.

“Honestly?” Zoe chuckled. “I have no idea. He went to some lecture at the nature center with Evan tonight, but I seriously doubt that was his idea.”

Alana tilted her head as she squinted at Zoe. “You said they’re not really going out, right? Because that sounds kind of, uh…”

“Yeah, I know, but…” Zoe rolled her eyes. “I don’t even know why they’re still pretending. I mean, I have a reason. A legitimate reason… Which reminds me, actually. If my parents ask, you didn’t patrol with me tonight, okay?”

“I didn’t?”

“No. Because I’m at the movie theater, bugging Jared while he works.”

“Oh… So, your parents-”

“Like to see me as some moony-eyed girl who spends her free time hanging all over her boyfriend? Yeah. Better that than the truth.”

“It’s probably easier for them this way,” Alana pointed out.

“I know,” Zoe nodded. “It just sucks because I thought I might finally be done sneaking around and lying to them.” 

Alana nodded slightly. She felt bad for Zoe, but she didn’t know what that was like. She knew she was lucky. She’d never had to hide anything from her parents. They were fully aware of her abilities. And her lack of abilities. They knew all about her many, many failures.

“I think my parents wish I lied to them,” Alana admitted. “I’ve been working on this spell lately. It’s kind of like the sunlight one my grandmother invented, just more portable. I was going to make it into a charm of some kind. I was thinking we could use it against the vampires.”

“Does it work?” Zoe asked eagerly.

Alana shook her head sadly. “I ended up setting my bed on fire. My parents freaked out and banned me from using magic in the house.”

And outside of the house, but Alana didn’t think Zoe needed to know that.

She could feel her face heating up as she scratched at her neck. “So, now I’m stuck sleeping on the air mattress in Tracy’s room until I can save up enough money to get the smoke damage fixed.”

“Do you have a job?”

“I’m going to work at my uncle’s diner while we’re on break,” Alana replied. “It doesn’t pay much, but the tips are usually decent.”

“How’s Tracy feel about having a roommate?”

“She’s fine with it, I think,” Alana shrugged. She squeezed her eyes shut as her heart began to race. This was it. This was her chance to talk about… “It’s been a little strange since the whole… the whole mistletoe thing though.”

“Oh, yeah,” Zoe nodded slowly. “Is everything okay? You guys ran out of there so fast, I wasn’t sure…”

“Well, yeah, I mean we’ve been friends forever and it was just a… She only kissed me to unfreeze me.” Alana cringed when she heard how high her voice had gone. No, nothing strange about that… 

She was suddenly extremely glad that Tracy was having dinner with her parents.

And worried that Tracy might decide to move back home.

And worried that Tracy might decide not to move back home.

It was all very confusing.

Zoe didn’t say anything. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Alana like she wanted to say something, but was keeping it in. Alana didn’t know how she felt about that.

“I liked it,” Alana whispered.

If she’d thought her face felt hot before, that was nothing compared to this. She didn’t know why she had said that. No, that wasn’t true. She knew why she’d said it. She’d needed to say it. She’d needed to tell someone and her options were extremely limited.

She would’ve told Alan if he hadn’t gone skiing with his friends. She’d almost texted him about it, but she knew cell service was horrible in the mountains and her brother hated to use the resort’s wi-fi. He’d told her he was taking advantage of the opportunity to go off the grid for a few days.

“Oh,” Zoe muttered.

Alana clenched her teeth when she saw that Zoe clearly didn’t know how to respond. She felt stupid for bringing it up and wished she knew a spell to reverse time.

Of course, knowing her luck, she’d probably end up sending them all back to prehistoric times.

“Have you told Tracy that?” Zoe finally asked.

“No,” Alana shook her head quickly. “I… I panicked when it happened and Tracy apologized for making me uncomfortable and… I don’t know. We just left it at that.”

“Okay,” Zoe nodded. “You should tell her.”

Alana looked at her strangely. “Yeah, no. That’s not happening.”

“You’re worried about how she’ll react?”

“Just a tad,” Alana laughed.

Zoe came to a stop in front of a bench and plopped down unceremoniously. She nodded for Alana to do the same.

“You know, when we all started…” Zoe laughed awkwardly. “When all this started, back before we knew what had happened to Tracy, Jared kept making all these jokes about how you were in love with your cat.”

Alana could feel the color draining from her face. “He did?”

“Oh, yeah,” Zoe snorted. “He called you a crazy cat lady and would go on and on about how you loved your cat so much you had to talk to her when you were apart.”

“I didn’t want her to feel left out,” Alana said defensively. “I was worried she’d feel abandoned and…”

“I get it,” Zoe assured her. “So, then Jared went to your house and you guys started talking about restoring his brother’s soul and… You know what he told me the next day?”

“What?”

“He said he thought the feeling was mutual.”

“The-”

“Jared left your house totally convinced that Tracy’s in love with you. He said he could tell by the way she stared at you and-and rubbed up against you. And purred. He kept going on about the purring.”

“She was a cat,” Alana pointed out.

“So?”

“So, how can a cat-”

“She was still Tracy,” Zoe reminded her. “She said it herself. I don’t know… Don’t take my word for it. Or Jared’s.”

“I should talk to her?”

“If for no other reason than the fact that she’s your best friend and this kind of thing has a tendency to implode if it’s left unaddressed,” Zoe smiled. “And, hey, for what it’s worth, her face lit up like a Christmas tree when she heard you were outside Bennie’s. Seriously. It was like nothing else mattered.”

Alana breathed in deeply as she let that sink in. She felt dizzy. Dizzy and confused. She didn’t know what to think. Or feel. Or let herself feel.

She knew she should talk to Tracy though. 

Alana pulled her phone out of her bag so she could ask Tracy to meet her at the park by her house. There was no way they were having this conversation with her family around. No freaking way.

Her eyes widened when she saw an alert had just popped up on her home screen.

“Someone tried to break into my grandmother’s house,” Alana gasped.

“Your grandmother?” Zoe frowned. “The one who-”

“Yeah,” Alana said hastily. She pulled the photos up and held the phone out so Zoe could see. “We haven’t done anything with her house yet. My uncle was planning to move in, but he changed his mind. Alan and I have been talking about living there next year. He’s getting sick of the dorms and-”

Zoe gripped the edge of the bench as she gaped at the screen. “There’s blood pouring down the wall.”

“It’s not real blood,” Alana assured her. “My grandmother set up wards to scare off intruders. It does that if someone who isn’t a blood relative tries to get in uninvited.” Alana chuckled morosely. “She was so powerful that some of her spells stuck around even after she died.”

“I have to call Bennie,” Zoe said shakily.

“Why?” Alana frowned. “My dad and Uncle Louie are checking it out. They don’t think anything was taken. Her spell books are all there and-”

“I’ve been dreaming about a bloody wall for weeks,” Zoe replied. She tapped her phone against her knee as she stared at the moon. 

Alana grabbed her phone and sent her father a quick text. “Okay. Let’s go check it out then. I have a list of everything.... All her books, her ingredients, her…. Everything, really. I have it saved on my phone. I’ll go through the house and make sure nothing’s gone.”

“I’m going to check in with Bennie,” Zoe decided. “He’s been trying to figure out what this means since it started popping up in my dreams.”

Alana nodded slightly. “Do you need a ride? You walked, didn’t you?”

“If you don’t mind,” Zoe said. “My car crapped out on me the other day, so my dad took it to the shop.”

“It’s on my way,” Alana shrugged.

She glanced at her phone one more time before standing up. She weighed the pros and cons of asking Tracy to meet her there before dropping it back in her purse.

Her conversation with Tracy would have to wait.


	64. Chapter 64

“Is the Abominable Snowman real?”

“Yes, but they don’t go by that name.”

“They?”

“There are several of them around the world. They’re supposed to be really nice though. Bennie says they help hikers when they get stuck in the snow.”

“They don’t eat them?”

“No, definitely not.”

“What about Bigfoot?”

Connor snatched the notebook out of Evan’s hand before Zoe could answer.

“How many pages did you write?” Connor laughed.

Zoe narrowed her eyes at him and leaned forward so she could see Evan. “Not as far as we know. Bennie has a friend though who has made it his life mission to-”

“Twelve,” Connor went on. “You have a twelve-page list of everything you’re wondering about?”

“I’ve-I’ve added to it a few times,” Evan said sheepishly. “I, uh, I don’t know. I used to be fascinated by this stuff as a kid and…”

Connor tried to ignore the gnawing in his stomach as he continued to flip through the book. He hadn’t meant to give Evan a hard time, but twelve pages? Front and back? That was a bit much. 

He handed the notebook back to Evan and reached for the remote. He was not in the mood to watch the cheesy rom-com Zoe had put on. 

“You should give that to Bennie,” Zoe told Evan. “He’ll mark it up for you so you know what’s real and what isn’t.”

“Oh, uh, no,” Evan muttered. “I don’t want to-”

“It won’t bother him,” Zoe said quickly. “I bet he’d love doing something like that.”

“Um, yeah, sure,” Evan nodded. “Maybe…”

Connor had a feeling he wasn’t alone in thinking that Bennie would never see Evan’s list. 

Zoe gestured at the screen and glared at Connor. “I was watching that, you know.”

“No, you weren’t,” Connor scoffed. “You’ve been talking for the last-”

“I can multi-task,” Zoe retorted. “Change it back.”

Connor automatically held the remote above his head before she could grab it. The move felt familiar, even though it had been years since he’d done it. He couldn’t remember the last time they’d gotten into a fight over the TV. 

“You know I can take that from you without leaving my seat, don’t you?” Zoe smirked. “I won’t though. I’d hate to embarrass you in front of your boyfriend.”

Connor tucked the remote into his arms as he folded them across his chest. “Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be patrolling?”

“Bennie gave me the night off,” Zoe beamed. “He said I deserve it after the concert last night.”

“You sounded great,” Evan said. “Even better than last year when you did the-” Evan’s cheeks flushed as he seemed to realize what he was saying. 

Connor swallowed sharply when he saw. Evan had said he didn’t have a crush on Zoe anymore, but he wondered about that sometimes. He didn’t get how those things worked. Did they just disappear? Was it really that simple? He wasn’t about to ask.

Zoe didn’t notice or, if she did, she was nice enough to pretend she didn’t. It was true what people said. She really was the nice sibling. 

“That’s sweet, but I messed up the middle part,” Zoe sighed. “I lost my place when I switched-” She cut herself off and craned her neck to stare at the doorway.

“We’re heading out,” Cynthia told them. “We shouldn’t be gone long. We’re going to the Founder’s Day meeting downtown. You’ve heard about that, haven’t you?”

Connor rolled his eyes at Zoe. Of course, they’d heard about it. Their mother had been talking about it for weeks. She was involved in almost every part of the celebration. She’d even managed to trick their father into helping.

“It’s on New Year’s Day, isn’t it?” Evan asked.

“That’s right,” Cynthia grinned. “Stormyvale will be two hundred years old on New Year’s Day.”

“Oh,” Evan nodded. “That’s, uh, cool, I guess?”

Connor smirked when he saw how happy his mother seemed with that response. Probably because Evan had somehow managed to sound more enthusiastic than everyone in her family had when they’d heard the news.

Cynthia turned towards Zoe. “We can drop you off at the movie theater if you want to visit Jared. It’s on our way.”

“That’s okay,” Zoe shrugged. “They’re probably closing early because of the snow.”

“Do you want us to take you to his house? We can-”

“The meeting’s been cancelled,” Larry interrupted. He held up his phone so she could see the email.

“Oh,” Cynthia blinked. She walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains. “Oh my. It’s really coming down, isn’t it?”

Connor could practically feel the anxiety radiating off of Evan as he watched the storm.

“Maybe we should go,” Evan muttered.

Connor nodded and stood up. “I’m going to take Evan home before it gets worse.”

“Not in this, you’re not,” Cynthia said quickly. “You won’t be able to see where you’re going. Evan should spend the night.”

“I-I don’t have-” Evan started.

“You can borrow something from Connor,” Cynthia interrupted. “Larry, do we still have your old air mattress in the attic? We can set it up in Connor’s room.”

“I think it’s in the basement, actually,” Larry replied.

“Okay, well…” Cynthia nodded. “We’ll get that and I may as well heat something up for dinner. I doubt anyone’s delivering tonight.” She put a hand on her hip as she looked at Zoe again. “Can you give me a hand?”

“Sure,” Zoe nodded. “In a minute.”

Zoe’s expression shifted as soon as their parents were gone. “You know, if this had happened to Jared, they would’ve made him sleep in the guestroom. Or on the couch, actually, since the guestroom’s filled with Christmas presents.”

“I can sleep on the couch,” Evan offered. “Does it fold out? It’s fine if it doesn’t. It still seems comfortable. More comfortable than mine, actually, and-”

Evan jumped as his phone started to ring. He blinked when he looked at the screen. “It’s my mom.”

Connor raised his eyebrows when he spotted his father standing in the doorway again. “What?”

“Your mother wanted me to remind Zoe to-”

“Oh my God,” Zoe moaned. “Tell her I’ll be there in a minute.” She snorted as he turned to go. “And another thing, you know Mom wouldn’t be trying this hard to get you to leave Jared and me alone if the situation was reversed.”

Zoe grinned when she caught Connor’s eye. He could hear her laughing all the way down the hall.

 

Zoe thought he liked Evan. Connor still wasn’t sure what he’d done to make her think that, but she definitely did. She thought that was why he was still pretending that he was going out with Evan. She’d looked him in the eye one day and told him that he should just ask Evan out if that was what he wanted. She’d said it wasn’t a good idea for him to try to trick Evan into dating him.

Which would’ve been good advice if that was what he was doing. He’d tried explaining it to her, but she hadn’t gotten it. He hadn’t really expected her to.

His parents’ reaction to his relationship with Evan had been a surprise. He was looking at it as a sort of trial run. Something to help him figure out how his parents felt about things. 

He’d suspected that he wasn’t straight for years. He didn’t know if he was gay or bi or something else. One of those other labels that people used. One of those labels that he’d never bothered learning about because they hadn’t matter to him.

None of it had. He didn’t date. He wasn’t interested in relationships or any of that. The thought of being with another person sounded kind of terrible. And impossible. 

And it was definitely something he’d assumed his parents would balk at. 

It wasn’t that he thought they were homophobic. He knew one of the partners at his father’s firm was gay. And his mother’s best friend from college was bisexual and married to a woman. 

He knew it would be different with him though. Because everything was different with him. He didn’t think his parents would have a problem with the not-straight part. He’d always assumed they would have a problem with anyone he chose to be with though.

His mother used to go on about how sad she was that he didn’t have friends until he asked her exactly who she thought would want to be friends with him. That had shut her up fast. Later that night, he’d heard his parents discussing the fact that it was a good thing he hadn’t found other kids like him.

They liked Evan though. Which wasn’t really a surprise. Evan was awkward and kind of weird, but polite. And nice and smart and heading in a direction that Connor’s parents could understand. When Connor stopped and thought about it, he realized that Evan was probably exactly the kind of person his mother had always thought he should be friends with. 

A year ago, that would’ve been enough to make Connor want nothing to do with Evan. It wasn’t that he had thrived on his parents’ disapproval. It had actually gotten to him. Sometimes it had gotten to him so much that it had made him crazy. And that was not a word he used lightly.

He would’ve stayed away from Evan because he wouldn’t have wanted to do anything that would catch his parents’ attention. Because that was easier for everyone involved.

He didn’t worry about that anymore. Thanks to Zoe, it seemed like everything he did got their attention these days. 

He didn’t feel like they disapproved anymore though. Not like they did, at least. Which was sometimes good, sometimes bad. When he helped burn down the gym, they hadn’t been surprised. Disappointed and annoyed, sure. But surprised? Not at all. It was like they’d always expected him to do something like that.

The fact that Zoe had disappointed them got to him. The fact that they clearly held her to a higher standard got to him. It wouldn’t have in the past, but that was yet another thing that had changed.

That was why he was sticking with the Evan thing. He’d gone with it in the beginning because he’d been caught off-guard and hadn’t known how to react. He was keeping it up because they liked it. Because it made them think that it was possible for someone to care about him. Because it showed them that he wasn’t a lost cause.

 

Evan looked like he’d been hit by a train. He dropped his phone onto the couch and hunched over to breathe into his hands.

Connor’s stomach dropped as he watched him. “What happened?”

“My mom…” Evan breathed in deeply before sitting back up. “She got a call from Dr. Sherman’s office today.”

“Your, uh…” Connor didn’t want to finish that question. He knew better than to finish that question.

“Yeah,” Evan nodded. “I missed my appointment this afternoon. I-I forgot about it.”

“And she’s mad?” The question sounded absurd to him because Evan’s mother didn’t seem like the type to get mad about things like that. His parents would’ve flipped out, but Evan was lucky in that sense.

“I’ve rescheduled the appointment three times and I didn’t tell her,” Evan muttered. “So, she’s worried. Really worried. I won’t be surprised if she puts on a pair of boots and tries to hike over here.” 

Connor tried to keep his expression neutral as he studied Evan’s face. “Should she be worried?”

“No,” Evan answered quickly. “I just… I don’t know. I’ve been busy and it… I didn’t mean to forget. I rescheduled it again last week and I must’ve forgotten to put it in my phone.”

“Does it help you to see him?”

“What?” Evan frowned.

“Dr. Sherman. Does it help you to see him?”

“Sometimes,” Evan shrugged. “I don’t know. Lately, not that much.”

Connor nodded slightly. He got that. He knew how these things went. How things worked and didn’t work and the frustrating dance that occurred while you tried to figure everything out.

“It’s been weird talking to him ever since all this started,” Evan went on. “There are so many things I can’t bring up or he’ll…”

“Think you’ve lost your mind?”

“Exactly,” Evan nodded.

“Maybe we should ask Bennie if he knows any shrinks who are on our side,” Connor grinned.

“That’s not funny…”

“It wasn’t supposed to be.”

Evan opened his mouth and closed it when Zoe reappeared in the doorway. Connor could tell he was wondering how much she’d overheard. It took Connor a moment to realize he was wondering the same thing.

“Dinner’s ready,” Zoe announced. She swept across the room to grab Evan’s notebook. “The Loch Ness Monster? Really?”

“I don’t know,” Evan mumbled.

“There are aquatic demons,” Zoe said thoughtfully. “I’ll ask Bennie about it tomorrow.”

Connor hesitated a moment before trailing after them. He watched as Zoe continued to flip through Evan’s notebook and comment on its contents. It felt strange to watch them laugh together. To see that they were friends. 

Which was also strange because he’d known that.

He’d known they were friends. It only felt slightly strange now to think that he shared friends with Zoe.

He didn’t think that was what was causing him to feel unsettled. It was the thought that had floated through his brain without warning. The thought that had occurred to him so quickly that he couldn’t figure out what had caused it.

The thought that made him think Zoe might be more observant than he’d originally believed.


	65. Chapter 65

Evan held his breath until he couldn’t hold it anymore. He exhaled and forced himself to look away from the mirror. He didn’t know how to do this. He didn’t know how to spend the night at someone else’s house.

He knew that was a weird thought to have. And it wasn’t completely true. It wasn’t like he’d never slept anywhere other than his house. He’d visited his grandmother in Florida every summer before he got to be too much for her. Before his nerves and his anxiety and his inability to be normal got to her and she decided he couldn’t come visit unless his mother was with him.

And he used to spend the night at Jared’s house on a semi-regular basis before they started high school. He’d curl up in a sleeping bag that always smelled like cat urine, despite the fact that the Kleinmans had never owned a cat. That had never been a positive experience though. He’d always felt weird and uncomfortable there. He never managed to get any rest. Jared and Henry would end up snoring and talking in their sleep. They’d have entire conversations about things that made no sense whatsoever. They never knew what Evan was talking about when he asked about it the next day. Jared would always tease him and say that he must’ve been dreaming about them.

Evan knew he didn’t have to worry about any of those things while he stayed at the Murphys’. The air mattress was surprisingly comfortable as far as air mattresses went and it definitely did not smell like cat pee. And he knew Connor didn’t snore or talk in his sleep. At least, he hadn’t whenever he’s spent the night at Evan’s house. 

So, he knew it could be worse. Evan tried to keep that in mind as he talked himself into leaving the bathroom. 

He tugged at the sleeves on the shirt he’d borrowed from Connor. The clothes were slightly too big, but they were soft and smelled like lavender. That made him want to laugh. He didn’t know why. He doubted that Connor chose his family’s fabric softener.

Connor was sitting on his bed, staring at his laptop, when Evan finally emerged from the bathroom. Evan frowned as he realized he didn’t know what to do with himself. He wasn’t tired. It still felt early to him. Winter break had already warped his internal clock and made him feel like he could stay up all night.

“Do you want to watch something?” Connor asked. “A movie or…”

“Sure,” Evan shrugged.

That sounded easy enough. He could stare blankly at a screen for a couple hours. It might even help his mind slow down enough for him to sleep.

“How about Harry Potter?” Connor suggested. “You like those movies, don’t you?”

“The books are better, but-” Evan started automatically. He scratched at his neck and dropped his gaze. He glanced up cautiously. Connor didn’t look like he was making fun of him. And he’d remembered. He’d remembered that Evan liked Harry Potter. 

Which really wasn’t that surprising. Evan knew he’d mentioned it numerous times. And he had a poster in his room. So, it really wasn’t a secret.

“Well, obviously,” Connor laughed. “The movies are decent though.”

“Yeah,” Evan agreed.

Connor scooted over on his bed and nodded at the spot next to him. “You want to start with the third one? That’s my favorite.”

“Mine too,” Evan nodded. He glanced at the bed and scratched his neck again. He could feel his face turning red as he remembered something Connor’s dad had said before he’d gone to bed.

“My dad’s an asshole,” Connor muttered knowingly.

“No…” Evan croaked. “He-”

“The walls really aren’t that thin,” Connor assured him. “That was his idea of a joke.”

“Oh,” Evan nodded swiftly. 

“Do you just want to go to sleep?”

Evan shook his head. “I’m not tired.”

“Okay,” Connor said. He pulled up the movie and looked at Evan expectantly.

“Okay,” Evan parroted. He climbed up next to Connor and stared at the screen while he waited for the movie to start.

 

Evan swallowed a groan when he noticed how stiff his neck was. He rubbed at it and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light. He didn’t remember falling asleep. He must’ve drifted off during _Goblet of Fire_ because the last thing he remembered was watching Harry dive into the lake to save his friends.

Evan jumped when he realized that his head was resting on something that was definitely not a pillow. He jumped and his shoulder connected squarely with Connor’s chin. He cringed when he saw Connor glaring down at him.

“You are a dangerous person to sleep next to,” Connor informed him.

“So I’ve been told,” Evan mumbled.

Connor snorted and shook his head. “You have a lot of people telling you that?”

“No,” Evan answered shortly.

His throat felt dry when he considered the implication. Obviously, he didn’t have a lot of people telling him that. Everyone knew he… It was obvious he didn’t have a lot of experience with that stuff. Any experience, really.

Jared used to tease him about it. He’d made a comment, an obnoxiously loud comment, in the junior hallway the year before. He’d moaned about how he didn’t know why he was asking Evan for relationship advice because he knew Evan had only ever made out with a CPR dummy.

Which wasn’t even true. Henry had been the one who’d made out with the mannequin when their mothers had made them take a first-aid class together. 

The memory caused a flurry of emotions to go through Evan. Anger, annoyance, and finally grief when he remembered that the Henry he’d known was gone.

He blinked when he saw that Connor was looking at him strangely.

“That was a joke.”

“No, I know,” Evan nodded. “My mom’s told me that. Not recently. When I was little, I, uh, I used to kick her in my sleep when I got in bed with her.”

“So, you’re saying I should be happy you weren’t dreaming about playing soccer?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever dreamed about playing soccer…”

Connor bit his lip and looked down at his hands. “Your mom’s here, just so you know.”

Evan’s eyes widened as he stared at him. “What?”

“Both of our moms poked their heads in here a couple minutes ago.”

Evan bolted up so quickly he thought he heard something pop in his neck. That was a mistake. That was the last thing his neck had needed after resting at an angle all night.

“Did they…” Evan couldn’t finish that thought. 

“Yeah,” Connor nodded. “I was just waking up, so I kept my eyes shut, but they saw us.”

“Right,” Evan muttered. “Okay.”

“Fuck is the word you’re looking for,” Connor grinned.

“It’s not funny!”

“It’s a little funny.”

“My mom doesn’t… I haven’t told her about any of this.” Evan’s head fell into his hands as he tried to process what was happening. He didn’t know what time it was, but he knew it was too early for this. Way, way too early. “She’s already mad about Dr. Sherman. This is just going to make it worse. So much worse.”

“So, you’re saying we should go downstairs before our moms have a chance to compare notes on everything they think they know?”

Evan’s mouth opened and closed as he nodded mutely.

“Shit is the word you’re looking for,” Connor laughed.

 

Evan collapsed onto the couch and stared up at his mother. They’d made it home in record time. Or what felt like record time. She’d escorted him out of the Murphys’ house as soon as she’d seen him. They’d gotten into the car and driven home in silence. Total silence. She hadn’t even put the radio on.

“I don’t even know where to start,” Heidi finally said. She sat down next to him and studied his face. “Are you okay?”

“What?” 

“First things first, are you okay? Because if you’re not okay, then we need to deal with that first.”

“I’m okay,” Evan whispered.

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah…”

“Okay,” Heidi nodded. “That doesn’t make it okay for you to skip your appointments with Dr. Sherman though. You have to talk to him about it first. You have to talk to me about it first. You don’t get to make that call.”

Evan’s jaw set as he stared at his lap. She had a point. He knew she did. He hated that she did. He hated how she saw this. How she saw him. How she was right about him. He needed help. He needed fixing.

“You’re still taking your medicine, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Evan mumbled. 

“I’ll call Dr. Sherman next week and set up another appointment for you.”

“I’ll do it,” Evan offered. He turned away when he saw the look of disbelief on his mother’s face. “I’ve been calling to reschedule. Did they tell you that? I’ve been calling them. Actually calling, not using the online portal thing.”

Heidi was silent a moment before she reached out to squeeze his arm. “That’s great, sweetie. I know that isn’t an easy thing for you to do.”

“It isn’t,” Evan muttered.

He hated talking on the phone. He hated calling the receptionist and stammering his way through the conversation. He hated being put on hold and wondering if they were secretly listening to him wheezing while he waited.

He’d done it though. He’d done it because he knew it was something he had to learn to do. And he’d succeeded. The receptionist would definitely back him up if his mother decided to check if he was telling the truth. There was no way anyone in Dr. Sherman’s office could have forgotten those phone calls.

“I might start looking for a new therapist,” Evan told her. “Connor had an idea last night. He suggested that we ask Bennie if he knows any therapists who know about… You know. All of this. I kind of feel like I can’t be open with Dr. Sherman anymore.”

“That’s a good idea,” Heidi nodded. “I’ll call Mr. Benson later.”

Evan would have argued, but he knew it would be pointless.

His heart sped up when he saw the look on her face. “What?”

“About Connor-”

“Mom-”

“Cynthia said something before we left and-”

“We’re not dating,” Evan cut in frantically.

His mother bit her lip as she blinked at him. “It’s fine if you are. You know I don’t-”

“We’re pretending to date because…” Evan slumped back against the cushions as Connor’s reasoning escaped him. The few bits he remembered sounded stupid. Too stupid to say out loud. 

“It’s just something Connor told his parents,” Evan shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s my friend, so I’m being a friend and playing along.”

He could tell his mother wasn’t convinced. She stared at him a moment before shaking her head. 

“Cynthia said you’re not really in a band.”

Evan’s head snapped up in alarm. “What?”

“She said there isn’t really a band. That there was never a band.”

“Um, well, yeah,” Evan said sheepishly. “That’s technically true.”

“So, you’ve been having me teach you to play the drums because...?”

“I wanted to learn?” Evan wanted to cringe at how uncertain he sounded.

“You don’t seem like you enjoy it,” Heidi said quietly.

“Not really, but...” 

Evan knew he was blushing. He didn’t know what to tell her. The truth? That he’d been tricking her into wasting her time – her valuable, extremely limited free time – helping him learn an instrument that he had no intention of playing in public? That he’d done that because it forced her to spend time with him, to pay attention to him?

He looked up and inhaled sharply when he saw her face.

She knew. Somehow, she knew what he’d been doing.

She squeezed his hand and smiled.

“It’s a shame about the band.”

“Why?”

“Well,” Heidi grinned. “Maggie wants us to play at her brother’s New Year’s party, but I have to work.”

“Oh,” Evan nodded.

“I told her I’d see if I could get you to fill in, but-” Heidi laughed and stared at the floor. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but the look on your face...”

“I’m not doing that,” Evan squeaked.

“I know,” Heidi assured him. She squeezed his hand again and settled back into the cushions. “I get it.”


	66. Chapter 66

Jared wasn’t Evan. That was something he had prided himself on for as long as he could remember. 

He wasn’t Evan. He wasn’t instinctively terrified of people. He could talk to them. He wasn’t popular. He didn’t have tons of friends. Not everyone liked him. He knew that for a fact.

He could talk to them though. He could talk to them without turning into an awkward, stammering mess.

Usually. There were exceptions to that. 

Apparently, Larry Murphy was one of them.

Jared shifted his weight from foot to foot when he saw who had answered the door. 

“Jared,” Larry greeted. “You’re here to see Zoe?”

“Yeah,” Jared nodded. He tried not to look too self-conscious as Larry eyed the box in his hand. “She’s expecting me?”

The spark in Larry’s eye confirmed the fact that he had sounded exactly as uncertain as he thought he had.

He thought she was expecting him though. He’d texted that he was going to stop by for a minute and she’d responded by saying “k.” 

“I came by to give her this,” Jared continued. He waved the box in the air and stared at the sky. He could feel his face heating up as Mr. Murphy continued to watch him. “It’s a Christmas present because it’s Christmas... Merry Christmas, by the way. I should’ve started with that, shouldn’t I? Are you going somewhere? You look like you’re going somewhere. Is Zoe going too? She didn’t say she-”

“They’re in the dining room,” Larry interrupted.

Jared nodded swiftly. He could feel the relief spreading through his body as he stepped into the house. He didn’t know who was included in the “they” that Mr. Murphy had mentioned, but he really didn’t care.

If this was what it was like to be Evan, then Evan’s life really sucked, even more than Jared had always suspected it did.

Zoe was in the dining with Connor, Bennie, and her mother. Jared automatically went over to stand next to Connor. He tilted his head as he watched Mrs. Murphy work on a drawing.

“What’s going on?” Jared asked.

Connor narrowed his eyes when he saw Jared. “What’re you doing here?”

“I-”

“Is Evan with you?” Connor leaned back to glance down the hall. Jared didn’t think he was imagining the look of disappointment when Connor saw it was empty.

“I’m not staying,” Jared assured him. “I have to meet my parents at the movie theater.”

“It’s Christmas Eve.”

“Yeah,” Jared rolled his eyes. “And we’re your average, stereotypical Jewish family.”

Jared turned to face the table when he heard Zoe gasp.

“That’s it!” Zoe exclaimed. “That’s exactly what it looked like!”

“You’re sure?” Bennie asked.

“Positive,” Zoe nodded. “Good job, Mom.”

Cynthia beamed as she tore the page out of her sketchbook and handed it to Bennie. “I’m glad I could be of service.”

“This will help a lot,” Bennie said quickly. “Zoe’s description was-”

“Was useless,” Zoe filled in. “I tried to draw it myself, but... I can’t really do anything other than stick figures.” She frowned when she saw the way Bennie was looking at the paper. “What?”

“Nothing,” Bennie muttered. He grabbed his coat off the chair and slipped it on. “Probably nothing. I’m going to go check on something and... I’ll-I’ll be in touch.”

Zoe’s frown deepened as she watched him go. Jared couldn’t blame her. He could tell something was wrong and he didn’t even know what was going on.

“What was that about?” Jared asked Connor.

“Zoe’s been having dreams again,” Connor whispered. “She keeps dreaming about a symbol of some kind. I don’t know. She got Mom to draw it for Bennie.”

“Oh,” Jared nodded.

“Cynthia,” Larry called from the doorway. He glanced at his watch and raised his eyebrows.

“Right,” Cynthia said. She smoothed her dress as she stood up. “The party. We’re late, aren’t we?”

“If we leave now, we’ll get there before dinner is served.”

“We should go.” Cynthia took a breath as she looked at Zoe. “We won’t be out late. You’ll be okay here tonight, won’t you?”

“We’ll be fine,” Zoe assured her. “You heard Bennie. It’s probably nothing.”

Cynthia nodded slightly and swept across the room. She patted Connor’s arm before following Larry into the hall.

“Your parents are going to a party on Christmas Eve?” Jared wondered.

“At least they didn’t try to drag us with them this year,” Connor shrugged. He made a face when he caught Zoe watching him expectantly. “I’ll be upstairs...”

“So,” Zoe started. She smiled as she eyed the box in Jared’s hand. “What’s up?”

“I got you something,” Jared said quickly. He handed the box over and shoved his hands in his pockets. “It’s not much. Just a... Something. So, you know, so you can tell your parents your boyfriend gave you a Christmas present.”

Zoe eagerly tore the box open. Her eyes widened when she saw what was inside. “You got me a bracelet?”

“I got it at the magic shop Jamie goes to,” Jared told her. “I had her check it out to make sure it’s okay. That it’s not cursed or... I don’t know. The beads contain crystals that are supposed to help you heal faster. Jamie isn’t sure if it actually works, but she said it-”

“It’s pretty,” Zoe said. She slipped it on and twisted her wrist to examine it. 

“Yeah,” Jared agreed.

“Thanks,” Zoe grinned. She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. It happened so fast that Jared thought he’d imagined it. Or that she’d tripped and somehow landed that way.

It took all of Jared’s willpower not to jump in surprise. He looked at her quickly. He watched as she clumsily pushed her hair behind her ears and stepped backwards. She looked almost as confused as he was.

“So, you’re, uh, you’re going to the movies?”

“Yeah,” Jared muttered. “My dad and I want to see the new Star Wars, but my mom... We’ll end up seeing whatever she chooses.”

“Right, sure,” Zoe nodded. “So-”

“So, I should go,” Jared said. 

“Okay,” Zoe nodded again.

Jared sighed as he turned to leave. That was weird. He thought he was right in thinking that had been weird. His head felt like it was spinning as he crossed the room.

He didn’t look back. It occurred to him that he probably should’ve said something else. He should’ve wished her a ‘Merry Christmas.’ That was the least he could’ve done. The very least.

He wondered if this was how Evan felt every day. 

It was almost enough to make him think he should try being more patient with Evan.

Almost being the key word.


	67. Chapter 67

The sounds filling her ears were giving Alana a headache. She wasn’t in the mood for a party. She wasn’t in the mood to be around people. She wasn’t in the mood to hear a group of witches chanting spells to the tune of various Christmas carols.

She hadn’t gotten a full night’s sleep in days. She’d been sleeping on the couch ever since Alicia came home for Christmas and reclaimed her bed. 

Because the alternative was sharing the air mattress with Tracy and that was not happening. No way, no how.

She hadn’t bothered asking Alicia if she could share her bed. She knew what the answer was and she didn’t feel like being subjected to her sister’s laughter.

“You can sleep in my room if you want,” Alan offered as he plopped down on the couch next to her. “Lilly said we can borrow her cot.” Alan wrinkled his nose as he took a sip of his cider. “Of course, it probably reeks of hemp.”

“Or pot,” Alana nodded.

“Or sage,” Alan grinned.

“Or all of the above.”

“So,” Alan started.

Alana fixed him with a beady stare. She’d been waiting for this all night. Alan had been trying to catch her eye ever since she’d found him talking to Tracy that morning.

“Yes?”

“You and Tracy-”

“Can we talk about this later? At home. When we’re not surrounded by people.”

“Tracy thinks you’re mad at her.”

Alana sighed and shook her head. “I’m not mad.”

“She thinks you are. She thinks you’re mad because she kissed you.”

“She told you that?”

“Yeah,” Alan nodded. 

“I didn’t realize you two were that close.”

“We’re not,” Alan shrugged. “But she needs a friend and-”

“I’m being a pretty sucky one.”

“Yeah,” Alan agreed. “You need to talk to her.”

“I know. I will.”

“When?”

“You want me to give you an exact date and time?”

Alan rolled his eyes. “Come on, Lanie. She’s your best friend. You need to deal with this.”

“I will,” Alana promised.

Alana grinned as he looked across the room. “You could always return the favor.”

“What?”

“There’s mistletoe hanging up in the atrium. I can get Tracy to go in there if you want to-”

“Shut up,” Alana squeaked. She laughed in spite of herself. She breathed in sharply when she saw her brother’s expression. She had a feeling Alan understood more than she wanted him to. She had a feeling he may understand even more than she did.

“Don’t drag this out,” Alan cautioned. “Whatever you’re thinking, whatever you decide you want, you need to handle this. It’s not fair for you to keep giving her the cold shoulder.”

Alana looked down sheepishly. She hadn’t realized that was what she was doing. Not really anyway. She knew she’d been distant. She knew she had been making sure she wasn’t alone with Tracy.

She hadn’t thought it was that obvious though.

It was weird. After she’d talked to Zoe, she’d had every intention of talking to Tracy. Of figuring things out and making them right again.

She didn’t know why she hadn’t. She’d been tired when she’d gotten home from her grandmother’s house. She’d been tired and confused. Really confused. It had taken her hours to determine that the only thing missing was her grandmother’s copy of _The Stormyvale Annals_ , the one and only history book about their town.

She still didn’t know what to make of that. She’d told Bennie and he’d said he’d look into it. 

After that, it had been easy to push aside all thoughts of Tracy. Sort of easy. She’d kept herself busy and distracted. She’d made herself think she wasn’t thinking about it. She’d made herself think things were going back to normal on their own.

Alana took a breath and looked up again. “I’m going to get some more-”

She stopped speaking when she heard the commotion from the floor below them. She glanced at Alan before hurrying across the room to lean over the railing.

There was a man being dragged across the living room. He looked familiar. Alana’s eyes narrowed as she tried to place where she’d seen him before. She gasped when she saw the polka dots scattered across his hands.

“Alan,” Alana breathed.

“I know,” Alan nodded.

The dots were their grandmother’s doing. Alana knew that from experience. Her hands had been covered in dots for weeks after she tried to take a cookie out of her grandmother’s jar without asking. Her parents had had to tell her second grade teacher that she had a noncontagious rash that they were trying to cure.

The man struggled to lift his arms above his head. “I come in peace!”

“Louis!”

Alana’s eyes widened as she watched Jamie fly across the room.

“Louis,” Jamie snarled. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Jamie’s ex,” Alana whispered to Alan. She should’ve recognized him right away. Jamie had ripped up and burned at least a dozen pictures of him while she’d been under the influence of band candy.

“Would you tell your friends to let go of me?”

Jamie nodded at the men holding Louis back. “What do you want?”

“It’s about your niece,” Louis started. He took a step backwards when he saw the look on Jamie’s face.

“What about her?”

Louis chuckled nervously. “You really haven’t heard yet, have you?”

“What are you going on about?”

“You haven’t heard what’s happening tonight?”

Jamie narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Stop playing games.”

“I’m not...” Louis shook his head irritably. “Okay, look, I came here because I figured you mustn’t know. If you knew-”

“Louis!”

“She’s in danger.”

“She usually is,” Jamie nodded. 

Even from her spot above the fray, Alana could tell Jamie was struggling not to let her nerves show.

“Elder’s back,” Louis told her.

“What?”

“He’s back because of the anniversary,” Louis replied. “He got in a couple nights ago. He’s trying to reclaim the town.”

“Who’s Elder?” Tracy hissed.

Alana jumped when she heard her friend sneak up behind them.

“An ancient vampire,” Alan whispered. “Gran said she fought him when the town turned 150.”

“Oh,” Tracy nodded.

Louis smirked when his eyes landed on Alana and Alan. “So, there are still a couple Becks in your midst.”

“You took their grandmother’s book,” Jamie said slowly. She rolled her eyes when she saw the surprise on Louis’s face. “I recognized Rosa’s handiwork.”

“I thought she may have written something in it. Something to help stop him.”

“You want to help stop him?” Jamie laughed.

“I didn’t say that,” Louis replied. “I mean, I did, but... I’m staying out of this. Some of my colleagues are dipping their toes into it, but I’m... I’m just here to warn you. To tell you what’s happening.”

“Okay,” Jamie sighed. “I’ll bite. What’s happening?”

Louis stared at the ceiling and rocked back on his heels. “Your old friend Amy isn’t taking Elder’s return well.”

“I’m sure she’s not,” Jamie nodded.

“They’ve decided to fight it out,” Louis explained. “They’ve decided to-”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Lilly asked. She looked around at the others for support. “If they’re fighting each other, then maybe they’ll-”

“They aren’t fighting each other,” Louis snapped. “They’ve decided that whoever kills the Slayer gets to keep the town.”

Alana tightened her hold on the railing as a feeling of cold terror spread through her. 

Tracy caught her eye and nodded. “We have to find Zoe...”

Louis smirked at Jamie. “Say what you will about me, but I do have some morals. Even I know it’s wrong to kill an innocent teenage girl.”


	68. Chapter 68

The silence in the room was deafening when Jamie finished talking. Zoe could feel everyone watching her. She didn’t need to look up to know that they were all staring at her with different degrees of worry and fear.

Connor shifted around on the couch next to her. She looked up long enough to glare at him as he legs continued to twitch relentlessly.

“Okay, am I missing something?” Connor asked. “This is easy, right? Zoe stays here. She doesn’t leave the house. They can’t get her in here. Not unless we invite them in and that’s not happening.”

“They’ll try to lure her out,” Jamie said quietly. 

“So, we don’t let her take the bait,” Connor retorted. “If something happens tonight, you all-” He gestured at Alana and Tracy. “Your coven will have to deal with it.”

“We’re monitoring things,” Alana assured him. “Everyone’s spread out all over town.” She paused and made a face. “Most of them are anyway. We had to send a couple people home. They were too drunk to be of any use.”

Connor waved his arm as if to say ‘well, there you go.’

“I can’t stay in here forever,” Zoe pointed out.

“Not forever,” Connor countered. “Just until we sort this out.”

Zoe folded her arms across her chest and glowered at the wall. She knew he had a point. It sounded so simple. Just stay put and nothing would happen. The warring vampire factions couldn’t kill her if they couldn’t get to her.

She didn’t expect it to stay simple though. Not after everything Jamie and Bennie had told them about Elder.

Elder was called that because he had been one of the original town elders when he had been human. As far as vampires went, he was relatively young. Only 200-something. He was by far the oldest vampire Zoe had come across though.

The symbol Zoe had been dreaming about had been his family crest. He didn’t have any living descendants because he had killed his entire family while he was still a human. 

He’d drowned them. That was a thing he did, apparently. As a human, he had believed in cleansing and purifying the world around him. It took the townspeople years to discover that he was the one behind all the mysterious drownings that kept occurring.

From what Bennie could gather, he hadn’t changed very much since becoming a vampire. 

He still considered Stormyvale his home and made it a point to come back every time there was an important anniversary. Whenever he returned, he took it upon himself to whip the town’s current vampire population into shape.

Which was something that Amy was taking personally. According to Jamie’s ex, Amy was not willing to let go of her control over the underworld. 

And somehow that led the vampires to decide that having a competition to see who could kill Zoe was the best way for them to settle that issue.

Zoe supposed it could be worse. They could’ve decided to see who could rack up the higher body count. That would’ve been a nightmare to deal with.

At least, in that case though, she wouldn't have felt like she was in this alone.

 

Zoe reached for her phone when it buzzed. She breathed in shakily when she saw that she had a text from her father. A text containing a video.

She was 99% sure that her father did not know how to send videos.

She hit play and stared at the screen. She could feel Connor push into her as he leaned over to see what she was watching.

“Shit,” Connor muttered. “He has our parents.”

The room fell silent again as everyone turned around to gape at them. Connor grabbed Zoe’s phone and waved it in the air.

“Elder – I’m assuming this is Elder,” Connor shook his head as he stared at the ceiling. “A vampire dressed liked a fucking pilgrim has our parents.”

Zoe blinked as she watched Jamie scurry over to them. She didn’t think she’d ever seen her aunt move that quickly.

Jamie took the phone from Connor and watched the video. She turned the sound on and watched it again.

Zoe stared at her hands as Elder’s voice filled the room. She couldn’t focus on what he was saying, but it didn’t matter.

He shouted out the usual threats or, rather, what the movies had led her to believe were the usual threats. 

She had to come to him alone or he would kill her parents. She had until midnight to decide.

“He didn’t say where he is,” Jamie muttered. “How are we supposed to-”

“The orchard,” Connor said. He reached out to steal the phone back from Jamie. 

Zoe tilted her head at him. “What?”

“The orchard, the one we used to go to when we were kids. It looks like they’re tied to that tree by the duck pond. You can see the sign for it if you pause it here.” He chewed his lip as he clicked through the video.

Zoe grabbed the phone and hit play. She had to squint to see it, but there was a sign behind them. A sign that was faded and old but did look kind of familiar when she stopped and thought about it.

“Okay,” Jamie nodded. “That’s a start. We’ll go there first.”

Jamie crossed the room to sit by Bennie again. Zoe closed her eyes as they started whispering to each other. 

She knew they were going to try to leave her out. She knew everyone was going to insist she stay in. She knew she couldn’t let them win.

Her eyes flew open as a thought occurred to her. She spun around to face Evan. “Have you heard from Jared yet?”

Evan shook his head. “He hasn’t answered any of my texts. He’s probably still at the movies.”

“He left here hours ago,” Zoe said tensely.

“They probably decided to see a second movie,” Evan shrugged. It was obvious he was trying to sound calm, though his face was anything but.

“We need to find out what Amy’s up to,” Zoe announced.

She stood up without waiting for a response. She dropped her phone on the couch and wandered out of the room. She didn’t know where to go. She stood in the hall for a moment before heading into the kitchen. 

Connor was right behind her. She knew that without looking back. She could sense him trailing after her. 

“You’re not trying to leave, are you?” Connor demanded. He leaned against the counter and scrutinized her expression.

“I have to,” Zoe muttered. The words came out on their own. She knew they were right though. She knew it had to be her. She knew she couldn’t risk sending anyone else. She couldn’t risk something happening to someone else.

“You don’t-” Connor started. His mouth formed a thin line as he realized she wasn’t backing down. “This is a trap. You know that, don’t you? This is a fucking trap and you’re walking right into it.”

“He has our parents.”

“I know, but-”

“I have to get them. I can’t just-”

“Then, I’m going with you.”

“No, you’re not,” Zoe shook her head. 

“Yes, I am,” Connor snapped. “They’re my parents too. If you’re going, I’m going.”

“No, you’re not!” Zoe exclaimed. She rubbed her forehead as she watched him move around in front of her. She knew that look. It was the same look he’d gotten every time he’d interrogated her about her weird behavior the year before. It was the exact same strangely stubborn expression she hadn’t known he was capable of producing.

“I’m not letting you go alone,” Connor insisted. He jumped forward to block her path. “We-”

He hit the ground before he could finish his thought. Zoe shuddered as she lowered her fist.

She let out a startled, slightly hysterical laugh when she thought about how many times throughout her life she had longed to do that. 

Her laughter cut short when she spotted Evan standing in the doorway.

“Wh-what?” Evan stammered. His eyes bulged as he stared at Connor.

Zoe squeezed her eyes shut and breathed in quickly. “Do I need to knock you out too?”

“What?” Evan gasped. “No! Is he...”

Evan hurried across the room and dropped down next to Connor. “He’s unconscious? Why is he-” 

“I’m going after my parents,” Zoe told him. “Connor was trying to... I had to. He wasn’t going to let me go.”

Evan’s mouth opened and shut as he realized what she was saying.

“He was right,” Evan said firmly. He straightened himself up as he looked at her. “You-you can’t go by yourself. Just give me a second. I’ll... I’ll go with you.”

Zoe eyed the back door warily. She needed to leave. She needed to get out of there before the rest of the group joined them. She knew she couldn’t knock them all out.

She bit her lip when she saw that Connor was already stirring. She didn’t even think she could make herself hit him again.

“I can hang back,” Evan continued. “I can... I won’t fight. That would be a mistake, obviously, but I can get your parents out of there while you... While you, you know...”

Zoe’s heart felt like it was dropping as she stared down at Evan.

Evan, who was the most skittish person she knew. Who was terrified of vampires and demons and everything. Sometimes it felt like he was literally scared of everything.

Evan, who was staring at her unwaveringly. Who knew what she was about to do and didn’t want her to deal with it alone.

“You should get some ice for his face,” Zoe said softly.

“There’s still time,” Evan argued. “We can-”

“We can’t,” Zoe shook her head. “And there isn’t. Midnight’s less than an hour away.”

Evan’s whole body looked like it was shaking as he stood up again. His eyes darted from her to Connor and back again. He nodded slightly and went to the freezer.

Zoe hurried across the room before he could change his mind. She hesitated with her hand on the doorknob. 

“Hey,” Zoe whispered. “When he wakes up, tell him... Tell him he’s going to have to keep being okay for both of us.”

She opened the door without looking back. She took a breath and squared her shoulders and walked out into the night.


	69. Chapter 69

Connor woke up to chaos. He closed his eyes as quickly as he had opened them. 

His head was hurting too much for this. Everything was hurting too much for this. It felt like he’d been hit by a bulldozer, which actually wasn’t a bad description of the way Zoe had struck him.

It took him a second to realize that he was on the kitchen floor. He was lying on the kitchen floor with his head...

He tentatively opened one eye and looked up.

His head was in Evan’s lap. Evan was propping him up and keeping a bag of frozen peas on his cheek while he watched Jamie and Bennie shout at each other.

Zoe was gone. Connor didn’t have to look around to know she was. 

Alana and Tracy were hovering anxiously by the door. Alana kept clearing her throat and pointing at the clock above the stove.

Evan was the first to realize that Connor was awake. He automatically lifted his arm to help Connor as he struggled to sit up.

“What’s going on?” Connor mumbled.

“Zoe left,” Evan whispered.

“I figured,” Connor nodded. “What-”

“Amy has Jared,” Evan told him. “She’s taken over the movie theater. She’s holding Jared and his parents and at least a dozen others hostage.”

“So-”

“So, we’re splitting up,” Evan went on. “Half of us are going after Zoe. The other half’s going to the theater. Bennie and Jamie are arguing about who’s going where.”

“I’m her Watcher,” Bennie maintained. “I have to-”

“I’m her aunt!” Jamie yelled. “Blood trumps whatever mystical tie you think you have to her.”

“I’m going to help Zoe,” Connor announced. He winced as he tried to get off the floor. Jamie ran over to help Even pull him up.

“You’re in no condition to-” Jamie started.

“I’m going,” Connor insisted. “I don’t care which one of you takes me, but I’m going to the orchard.”

Jamie’s eyes narrowed as she looked over her shoulder at Bennie. “You’re going with me then.”

Bennie raised his hands in defeat and turned towards the witches. “Did you get ahold of your brother?”

“Yeah,” Alana nodded. “He’s gathering as many people as he can. They’ll meet us there.”

“Okay,” Bennie sighed. “Let’s go. We need to get this ball rolling.”

Jamie linked her arm through Connor’s as the group headed for the door. “You are not leaving my sight.”

“What?”

“You are not leaving my sight,” Jamie repeated. “Do you understand me? It’s bad enough that Zoe’s gone, that he has my sister and Larry. You-” She nodded at Evan, who was following them and looking around like he wasn’t sure which team he was on. “You two are not leaving my sight. Is that clear?”

Connor had never seen that look on Jamie’s face. He’d always known that his aunt was an adult, but she’d never really felt like she was an authority figure that he had to obey. In a lot of ways, she’d always been like a semi-cool older cousin. 

He could tell she was serious though. The way her eyes had sparked when she looked at them reminded him of the way his mother got when she meant business.

Evan nodded swiftly. He came to a stop and answered his phone as it began to ring. Connor could hear him asking his mother if she was wearing the cross he’d given her for Hanukkah. 

“We’ll stay with you,” Connor promised.

“Good,” Jamie nodded. She unlocked her car and opened the door. “Now, I need you to tell me everything you remember about the orchard.”


	70. Chapter 70

Jared kept looking at the door. He couldn’t stop looking at it. He kept looking at the windows and the door and the ceiling, even. It was a glass ceiling. Perfect for Zoe or one of the others to smash through and make a hell of an entrance.

Because someone had to be coming. They had to know what was going on. It had been at least twenty minutes since Henry had taken Jared’s phone. Amy must’ve made her call by now. His friends had to know he’d been captured. They had to be out there somewhere, devising a plan to get him out of this mess.

Jared wanted to do something. He hated this. Sitting around and waiting to be saved did not feel natural to him. He knew there was nothing he could do though. He knew he’d be killed if he so much as looked at one of the vampires the wrong way.

Jared leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes. He couldn’t look at his parents. He could hear his mother quietly sobbing next to him. She’d taken one look at Henry and burst into tears. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to explain it to her yet, but he had a feeling she got the general gist of what was going on. 

His father was acting like he’d been paralyzed. He hadn’t moved at all since Henry confronted them. He’d been staring at the trashcan across the room like it was the strangest thing he’d ever seen.

He knew he should try to talk to his parents. He’d thought about this a lot. He’d spent more time than he liked to admit thinking about how things might play out if his parents ever learned the truth about Henry.

He’d expected his mother to cry and his father to be in denial. His predictions had been accurate. That didn’t mean he knew what to say though. 

“You knew?” Mrs. Kleinman suddenly whispered. She dabbed at her eyes as she turned to face Jared. “You knew about Henry?”

“Yeah,” Jared admitted. He hunched over to avoid his mother’s stare.

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Would you have believed me?”

His mother shook her head sadly. “Probably not.”

Jared sat back up when he heard his mother gasp. He forced his face to go blank when he saw Henry standing in front of them.

“Amy wants a word with you,” Henry said. 

Jared could feel his mother trembling next to him. He knew what she was thinking. That hadn’t sounded like Henry at all.

Jared took a breath as he stumbled to his feet. He didn’t bother fighting it. There were two vampires standing behind Henry. He knew he didn’t stand a chance.

He could hear his mother sniffling as Henry led him away. He heard his father try to calm her down. He didn’t think either of them expected him to be successful.

“Do you know how embarrassing this is?” Henry asked.

“What?” Jared snapped. “Your face?”

Henry shoved Jared’s shoulder and glared down at him. “My brother’s dating the freaking Slayer.”

Henry stopped to flip off the vampires that laughed at those words.

“I’m-” Jared started. He shook his head as it occurred to him that he probably shouldn’t tell the truth just then. Admitting that he wasn’t actually dating Zoe would be a mistake. It would instantly render him useless to them.

“Of all the girls you could’ve picked, you had to go and-”

“This is the Slayer’s boyfriend?”

Jared instinctively straightened himself up as Amy crept towards him. He tried not to react as she ran a hand down his neck.

“She could do better,” Amy smirked. “She knows that, doesn’t she?”

Jared didn’t bother responding. He stared straight ahead as Amy continued to circle him.

“We need your help,” Amy said. “Your girlfriend isn’t cooperating. I couldn’t get through to her at all. Her Watcher has her phone.”

“What do you want me to do?” Jared asked. He sucked in a breath when he realized that he’d spoken. He hadn’t meant to say anything. He had no intention of actually helping them.

Not unless his life was on the line. Which he was starting to think it probably was.

“I don’t know yet,” Amy replied. “But don’t worry. I’ll think of something.”


	71. Chapter 71

Zoe’s heart was pounding like she’d just downed a doubleshot espresso. Her hands felt clammy as she gripped the steering wheel. She took a breath and tried to focus on her driving. It was a good thing there weren’t many people on the road. 

She didn’t know where she was going. Not exactly, anyway. She knew the general direction she had to drive in. Stormyvale was small enough that she figured she was bound to come across the orchard eventually.

Hopefully before midnight.

She couldn’t think about what would happen if she didn’t manage that.

She was starting to regret leaving her phone behind. She really could’ve used help finding her way. 

She’d left it so that no one could track her, which was actually pretty stupid when she thought about it. Connor had already figured out where their parents were. He’d know where to take everyone when he woke up.

Zoe didn’t want to think about that either. Hitting her brother and leaving him on the floor unconscious did not seem like a good way to start the night.

Zoe pulled over when she got to the top of the hill. The roads were still slick with ice and she didn’t want to risk driving down the hill when it was so dark that she could barely see in front of her. She had enough trouble handling windy roads under dry conditions. She knew she wouldn’t be able to save her parents if she got into a car accident.

She saw the sign when she got to the bottom. It was leaning over and splintered and covered in moss, but she recognized the name as soon as she saw it. She stepped over the chain and set off down a path that instantly felt familiar and strange.

Familiar because her body instinctively knew the way to the duck pond. Strange because she wasn’t used to seeing the orchard in the dark. She wasn’t used to seeing it look abandoned and abused and dead.

She came to a stop when she reached the clearing. She darted behind a tree and stared across the field to watch the scene unfolding in front of her.

She felt like screaming. She wanted to curse herself and her stupidity.

Elder wasn’t alone. She didn’t know why she’d expected him to be. She didn’t know why she’d thought he was going to play fair. 

He had at least ten vampires scattered around the area. Ten large uniformed vampires who were clearly ready for a battle.

Her parents were still tied to the tree. For a second, Zoe thought they were dead. Her mother was slumped over and she could see blood streaming down her father’s face. They both lifted their heads and violently flinched as one of the vampires strolled by. 

That was what settled it for Zoe. She couldn’t stay put and hide. Time was ticking. She’d made her choice. She’d come alone because it had seemed like the right call at the time. 

Part of her still thought it was. It would’ve been nice to have people there to back her up, but she knew she would’ve been distracted if they’d come. There would’ve been too many ways for the vampires to manipulate her. Too many lives she would’ve had to save.

Elder spotted her the second she stepped forward. He didn’t say a word. He flicked his hand in her direction like he was already bored of this.

Three vampires surrounded her. Zoe’s instincts told her to fight. She put her foot out to trip one of them and reeled back to headbutt another. She swung around to punch the third but stopped when she heard her mother scream. Her hands flew up in surrender and she allowed the vampire to drag her across the field.

She tried to smile at her parents as she was pulled past them. She didn’t know what the vampire next to her mother had done to make her cry out like that, but Zoe memorized his face. If she got through this, he was at the top of her list.

The vampire shoved her forward so that she fell at Elder’s feet. She was only on the ground for a moment before he yanked her back up.

“I knew you’d come,” Elder sneered. “You humans really are too predictable for your own good.”

“Let them go,” Zoe hissed. “I’m here. I’m alone. You have to let them go.”

“In time,” Elder murmured. “I need proof, you see. Proof that I’m the one who killed you.”

Zoe squinted up at him while she tried to catch his meaning.

“There’s nothing quite like it,” Elder grinned. “The screams of a mother who has witnessed her child’s murder.”

Zoe’s blood went cold when she heard her mother yelp behind her. She couldn’t look. Even if she’d wanted to, his grip was too strong. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t break free. 

“Now, gentlemen,” Elder continued. He pulled Zoe up as he turned to address his followers. “I have often spoken of the importance of temperance, of not giving in to temptation. There are exceptions to that, of course.”

Zoe shivered as he stroked her neck. She could feel his face drawing closer. She tried to pull back, but it was no use. 

She gasped as his teeth sank into her neck. Her body shuddered until he let go.

“Just a sip,” Elder proclaimed. “They say a Slayer’s blood is intoxicating. You may go forth and proclaim that I alone possess the strength to abstain.”

Zoe could feel her eyes tearing up as the vampires cheered and applauded for their leader.

“Now then,” Elder went on. He looked down at her with a sickening grin. His mouth was still stained with her blood. “Where was I? Oh, yes. We must be rid of this filth.”

Zoe struggled against him as he pulled her forward. She tried to step on his feet, to kick his shins and dig her heels into the ground. She managed to free one of her arms and elbowed him in the neck as hard as she could.

It didn’t even break his stride.

She lifted her arm to try again, but he grabbed it before she could. Her stomach sank when she saw where he’d brought her.

The pond. He was lowering her into the pond.

It happened so fast that Zoe barely had time to process what he was doing.

He dropped her in and held her head down while she fought against him. He held her until her lungs stopped trying to breathe, until her heart finally stopped beating.


	72. Chapter 72

“What’re you looking for?”

Alana barely looked up as Tracy joined her on the bench. She scooted over, probably more than was really necessary.

“A spell,” Alana replied.

“Well, yeah,” Tracy laughed. “I can see that. What kind of spell?”

Alana breathed in deeply and put the book down. “Bennie told me to figure out how to open the door.”

“Oh,” Tracy nodded. “Did you try picking the lock?”

“With what? Do you have a bobby pin on you?”

“No,” Tracy muttered. She folded her hands in her lap and leaned back sullenly. “I’m sorry, okay?”

Alana frowned as she squinted up at her. “For what?”

“For...” Tracy sighed and shook her head. “For kissing you. That’s why you’re mad, isn’t it? I shouldn’t have... Did you want someone else to do it?”

“What?” Alana sputtered. “No. I-”

“You can tell me if you did. I won’t tell anyone. You know I won’t-”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what’s the-”

Alana didn’t act impulsively very often. She liked to think things out. She liked to talk things out. She liked to understand exactly what she was doing, especially when it came to things she knew would have a significant impact on her life.

But sometimes she did things without thinking. Without worrying. Without second-guessing.

Because she wanted to. Because there were times when talking was extremely overrated.

Luckily, Tracy seemed to agree. 

Alana laughed when they pulled apart. She laughed when Tracy started to laugh too. She laughed when she looked up and saw Bennie gawking at them.

“Is this really the time?” Bennie murmured. He ran a hand through his hair and turned to study the door. “Have you made any progress with...”

He stopped speaking as a trio of witches hurried past them. Alana knew what he was thinking. 

No one knew what they were doing. Everyone in the coven was operating independently or with a small group. No one was working together or communicating. There was no system, no organization, no direction of any kind.

It wouldn’t have been like this if her grandmother had been there. Her grandmother had been their leader. They had respected her, listened to her, allowed her to give them orders.

No one had assumed that role after her grandmother died. Jamie occasionally came close, but Alana didn’t think anyone would say Jamie was actually in charge of the coven.

Alana shook her head as one of the warlocks cast a spell that ricocheted off the wall and took down a tree limb.

She took a breath and pulled herself up so that she was standing on the bench. 

Alana knew that she wasn’t her grandmother. She knew that she may never truly master anything other than locator spells. She knew that her potions may always resemble soup. She knew that she may never become a legend that people whispered about in reverent tones. 

But she could organize. She could give orders. She could make the witches channel their energies into something useful.

Alana whistled as loudly as she could. “Okay, that’s enough of that! Everyone gather ‘round. It’s time to come up with a plan.”


	73. Chapter 73

Jared was not scared of Henry. He refused to be scared of Henry. 

Okay, sure, he could admit there was a part of him that was terrified of the idea that his brother was a vampire. But who wouldn’t be? Was there anyone out there who wouldn’t be scared of that concept?

The weird thing was that it was almost scarily easy to forget what Henry was. That thought made Jared feel sick. It made him feel dizzy and disoriented. 

Because the guy standing next to him on the stairs was not his brother. He was a demon. A demon who had Henry’s mannerisms. A demon who kept looking over at Jared with a knowing smirk on his face.

Henry was clearly amused by the effect his presence was having on Jared. He’d jumped at the chance to guard his brother while Amy did whatever it was she was doing. Jared wasn’t sure what she was up to. He didn’t think he wanted to know. Sometimes ignorance really was bliss. 

Or, in this case, it was prolonging the illusion that things weren’t going to turn out as badly as he feared they would.

Jared wasn’t sure what to do with himself while he waited on the stairs. He didn’t want to look at Henry, but he didn’t want to look at his parents either. He couldn’t seem to stop doing either of those things though. He was intensely aware of every movement Henry made and he kept looking up to watch his parents watch their sons.

Because he knew what they were thinking. They still looked at Henry and saw their oldest son.

Jared couldn’t blame them, really. He hadn’t been this close to Henry in months and it was starting to get to him. 

He kept noticing things. Things that he’d never consciously realized he knew about his brother. Things he probably shouldn’t be surprised that he knew. 

You couldn’t share a room with a person for sixteen years without learning a thing or two about him.

Jared jumped in spite of himself when Henry snuck up and grabbed him from behind.

“Boo!”

Jared burst out laughing as he shrugged Henry off of him. “Boo? Really? Is that what they’re teaching you in vampire school? That’s the latest scaring technique you vampires have come up with?”

“Worked on you, didn’t it?” Henry grinned.

“Shut up,” Jared groaned.

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked away again. 

That had felt familiar. Too familiar. He knew it shouldn’t. Logically speaking, he knew this wasn’t really Henry.

The Henry he knew didn’t kill people or drink blood or go around threatening their friends. Jared felt a flash of guilt as he remembered how Henry had gone after Evan’s mom. The guilt grew as he thought about the fact that Henry was obviously working with Amy. That Henry would be happy if Zoe died.

If they all died, really.

Henry would drain him in a second if he had the chance.

“So, how’s school, Jare?” Henry drawled. “Senior year. Have you decided what you’re going to do when you graduate?”

Jared swallowed dryly and slid down against the wall so that he was facing the entrance. His heart sped up when he saw something that almost looked like a person out there. It was hard to tell though. It was dark and the glass was frosted and he was too distracted to focus.

It was enough to give him hope though. Hope that his friends were finally there. Hope that this would be over soon.

“You finish your applications yet? You’re welcome, by the way. You really have it made now that I’m gone, don’t you? Mom and Dad will only have to worry about paying one tuition next year.”

Jared didn’t dignify that with a response. He wanted to close his eyes so that he could shut Henry out, but he was too scared to try.

Not scared. He was being practical. Smart. He knew better than to keep his eyes closed while surrounded by vampires.

Henry sighed and clucked at Jared. “Nothing? Okay... So, what’s it like to date the Slayer? How’d you land a girl like that?”

“I don’t think Zoe would appreciate hearing you talk about her that way.”

Jared grinned as he spun around. “About time. Would it be weird if I hugged you guys?”

“Little bit,” Alana nodded. Tracy’s face scrunched up in agreement.

Jared didn’t care. He threw an arm around each of them when he reached the bottom of the stairs. “So, what’s the plan?”

They didn’t bother answering. Jared wasn’t sure if that was because Henry was still lurking nearby or because they thought it should be obvious to him.

The three of them stayed out of the way as members of the coven streamed into the movie theater and surrounded the vampires. It didn’t take them long to contain the majority of the demons by joining forces to cast some kind of huge, glowing spell. Jared didn’t know what it was, but it looked impressive and rather pretty. 

Jared turned to watch as a pair of witches escorted the hostages out. He caught a quick glimpse of his parents before they were pushed out the door. He looked away when his mother tried to beckon for him to follow.

“Should we help?” Tracy asked Alana. She gestured at the witches who were casting the glow spell.

Alana shook her head adamantly. “Not tonight. Not unless-”

All three of them jumped back as a vampire charged at them. They held onto each other as they scrambled backwards.

“Now would be a good time for a protection spell, wouldn’t it?” Jared hissed.

“No way!” Alana yelped. “I’m not-”

“Come on, Alana,” Jared moaned. “Better to be a cat than dead.”

“Definitely,” Tracy agreed.

Alana shook her head firmly. Her mouth formed a thin line as she tried to kick the vampire before he could lunge again.

“Hey!” Henry cried. 

Jared’s eyes bulged as his brother knocked the vampire out of the way.

“That’s my brother!” Henry shouted. “If anyone’s going to kill him, it’s going to be me!”

Jared let out a startled laugh as the girls dragged him away. He glanced over his shoulder once to watch as Henry continued to wail on the other vampire.

Alana rolled her eyes when she saw Jared’s expression.

“What?” Jared demanded.

“I’ll start looking for restoration spells again after the holidays,” Alana promised. 

“I didn’t say-”

“You didn’t have to,” Alana sighed.

Jared nodded slightly. He didn’t know if it would work. He didn’t know if he actually wanted it to work. He didn’t know if it would be the best thing for Henry, for their family.

But he’d seen a glimpse of the real Henry and he wasn’t ready to give that up.

“Thanks,” Jared mumbled.

“Sure,” Alana smiled. “But, like I said, no-”

“Promises,” Jared finished. “I know.”

Bennie was waiting for them at the top of the stairs. He didn’t say a word when they drew near. A flash of relief spread across his face and that was it.

“Where’s everyone else?” Jared wondered. His stomach dropped as they exchanged a look. “What?”

A ringing sound from the platform above silenced the room. Jared watched as Amy answered her phone and hunched over to hiss into it.

Her face was blank when she stood up again. Jared could tell she was annoyed by how things were turning out though. It was easy to see she didn’t like being trapped. He hoped the witches were planning to keep the shield up until Zoe arrived.

“That was Jake,” Amy called out to her followers. Her eyes narrowed when they landed on a vampire who was dressed like he was going to a reenactment of some kind.

“That must be Elder’s scout,” Bennie told them. “I’d imagine they each sent one of their people with the other, to make sure the rules were obeyed.”

Amy closed her eyes before stepping forward. “He said Elder has won. The Slayer is dead. They’re coming to find us.”


	74. Chapter 74

The vampires were leaving in a stretch limo.

Evan didn’t know what to think of that. They looked like a group of middle-aged adults going to some kind of weird costume party. It would’ve been funny if it weren’t for the fact that it wasn’t funny at all.

Evan took a breath and tried to calm himself down. He needed to get it together. He needed to get it together because he was the only one who stood a chance of getting it together.

Jamie looked like... She looked like she’d just heard that her niece was dead. 

And Connor... Connor looked like he wanted to murder his aunt. Like this was all her fault for making them hang back until the vampires were gone. 

“Zoe’s dead?” Connor sputtered. He paced around for a moment before taking off down the trail.

Evan followed him closely, but not so closely that he couldn’t see where Connor was going. It was dark and there were trees everywhere and Evan had no idea what direction they were supposed to be running in.

Connor came to a stop when he reached the clearing. He stopped so suddenly that Evan nearly crashed into him and Jamie nearly crashed into Evan.

Connor’s face fell as he stared at the pond. It only took Evan a moment to see why. 

Zoe was lying face down by the edge of the water. She wasn’t moving at all. 

Jamie waved her arm and muttered something under her breath as she strode forward. Evan watched as the ropes holding Connor’s parents to the tree flew through the air and landed on the ground.

“There’s a spell for this, isn’t there?” Connor demanded. “If she’s-if she’s really gone, there’s a spell that can bring her back, isn’t there?”

“There are spells,” Jamie said slowly. “They’re not easy though and-”

“I don’t care if it’s easy,” Connor snapped.

Evan moved past them as they continued to argue. He heard Jamie say that spells like that were dark, that they required sacrifices. He heard Connor say it didn’t matter.

Evan barely looked at the Murphys as he ran by them, but he could tell they hadn’t even noticed that he was there. They were too busy clinging to each other and staring numbly at their daughter.

Evan knelt down next to Zoe and carefully turned her onto her back. He checked for a pulse and breathed in sharply when he realized there wasn’t one. 

He flexed his hands as he tried to will them to stop shaking. He didn’t know what he was doing. Not exactly anyway. He’d never had to do this on a person. He’d never thought he’d in a position where he’d have to try.

He kept losing count. He hoped that didn’t matter. His heart was racing and his mind was spinning and he thought he may have counted ‘seven’ three times. Or four or two. He wasn’t sure.

He kept it up though. He kept up the compressions and the breathing and, for a second, it occurred to him that he was glad Jared wasn’t there to witness this.

Or maybe it would’ve been better if Jared had been there, cracking jokes and egging him on.

He wasn’t sure. 

He wasn’t sure about anything. He didn’t know if this was pointless. He didn’t know if he was trying to force a corpse to breathe.

He kept going because he didn’t know what else to do. He heard a rustling sound behind him and glanced up long enough to see that the others had gathered around him. He could see an identical mixture of hope and fear and anxiety playing across their faces.

His hands were starting to get sore. He flexed them before moving forward to try breathing into her mouth again. He leaned over, only to jump back as Zoe’s eyes flew open.

Evan gasped as Zoe blinked up at him. He scooted back so that her family could see. 

He barely had time to move out of the way before Zoe’s parents descended on them. Evan pulled himself up and stepped away to give them space. 

He watched as the Murphys helped Zoe off the ground. He watched as they hugged her, carefully at first and then like they were physically incapable of letting her go. He watched as Jamie joined in and Connor rocked back on his heels like he wasn’t sure what to do with himself.

Connor caught Evan watching them and joined him by the edge of the pond. 

Evan stumbled backwards as Connor wrapped his arms around him. He let out a startled laugh before returning the hug.

It was a different kind of hug. A full hug. Not a half-hearted slap on the shoulder like the ones Jared gave. Closer to the ones his mother doled out, but different. Definitely different. So different that it felt weird and sort of wrong to even think of comparing it to his mother’s hugs.

And it felt kind of right. Not in the mom-sense, just... 

“That was quick thinking,” Connor muttered. 

Evan nodded slightly. His head felt light. So light that he wondered if this was a side effect of giving CPR. Maybe he’d put so much air into Zoe that now his body lacked oxygen. He wondered if that was a thing. He made a mental note to look it up later.

“You saved her,” Connor continued. His arms fell to his sides as he finally let go of Evan.

“I, uh-” 

“You know there’ll be no getting rid of us now, don’t you?”

Evan tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Connor sighed. He stared up at the sky and shook his head. “You saved Zoe. If I tell my parents the truth about us or if I tell them we broke up, they’ll pick you.”

“No, they won’t,” Evan scoffed.

“They will,” Connor shrugged. “They-”

Connor’s eyes narrowed as he looked at something over Evan’s shoulder. 

“Zoe says we need to leave,” Larry said. He nodded at his daughter, who was clearly in the middle of an argument with her mother.

“She wants to fight?” Connor guessed.

Larry shook his head. “She says she’s fine. She says she’s ready to go.”

“Okay,” Connor nodded. “Let’s go finish this.”

Evan hesitated a moment before following the Murphys out. He took a breath and glanced around at the orchard. It was easy to imagine what it must have looked like before it had been abandoned. Easy and sad. He could tell it must’ve been beautiful once upon a time.

The trees weren’t as tall as the ones he’d climbed that summer. A lump formed in Evan’s throat as he stopped to study one of them. 

He didn’t know if it was because he was tired or punchy or low on oxygen, but he could actually picture himself climbing the tree.

He could imagine climbing it, but, in that moment, in that particular moment, he couldn’t imagine ever wanting to let go.


	75. Chapter 75

Connor did a double take as he unlocked Zoe’s car. He clenched his teeth and watched as his father stopped Evan. He watched as they talked for a moment and Evan turned around and walked back down the hill to Jamie’s car. 

“What?” Connor demanded. He spun Zoe’s keys around his finger and glared at his father. “You don’t trust me to get Zoe’s car home safely?”

“You can drive if you want,” Larry shrugged. He nodded at Jamie as she drove past them. Connor caught a quick glimpse of his mother clinging to Zoe in the back of the car. “I told Evan he should be prepared to help Jamie pry your mother off of Zoe.”

Connor snorted as the car disappeared around the bend. “That should be interesting.”

Connor climbed into Zoe’s car and started the engine. He could feel his father gazing at him while he eased the car back onto the road. It was harder than he’d expected. He could tell Zoe must’ve taken one look at the ice and immediately swerved to the side of the road. 

“Did you mean what you said back there?” Larry asked.

Connor shook his arms out and leaned forward to avoid his father’s stare. “What?”

“About Evan.”

Connor looked at his father in alarm. “What about him?”

“You think we would side with him if-”

“We’re not together,” Connor blurted out. He tightened his hold on the steering wheel and carefully avoided catching his father’s eye. 

“You broke up?”

“We were never together.”

“But you said-”

“I didn’t say anything,” Connor pointed out. “Mom came to that conclusion on her own.”

“And you decided not to correct her because...?” Larry’s mouth snapped shut as he stared out the window. “Because she’s your mother. Because you saw how happy she was.”

Connor didn’t respond. He shifted in his seat and kept his eyes focused on the road.

“She was happy because she thought you were happy. Because she-because we want to see you happy and healthy. That’s all we really want. You understand that, don’t you? That’s always been the goal. Everything we’ve done, that’s the reason.”

Connor shrugged. He glanced down long enough to switch the high beams on. 

Larry sighed and gestured at the fork in the road. “You should go left up there.”

“I know,” Connor snapped. 

“Zoe wouldn’t know which way to go,” Larry chuckled. “She said she got lost three times on her way to the orchard. I’d make her study a map tomorrow, but it saved her life this time. If she hadn’t gotten lost, you wouldn’t have had a chance to catch up and...”

Connor nodded stiffly. He’d figured that part out already.

“She told us what you did,” Larry went on. “That you tried to stop her from going alone.”

Connor shrugged again. “Yeah...”

“That was...” Larry closed his eyes and took a breath. “I’m glad you’re looking out for your sister. It makes all of this slightly less terrifying.”

Larry tilted his head as he studied the side of Connor’s face. “She can really throw a punch now, can’t she?”

Connor self-consciously touched his cheek. “Yeah, she really can.”

Connor turned on the radio when his father didn’t respond. He flipped to the classic rock station and quickly dropped his gaze.

Larry glanced at the radio thoughtfully. “You know, when I was your age-”

“You liked weed and rock and roll,” Connor smirked.

Larry let out a startled huff that turned into a grin. “You’ve been holding that in for months, haven’t you?”

Connor looked at his father out of the corner of his eye and nodded slightly.

“Jamie explained about the candy,” Larry shook his head. “I-”

“You weren’t really like that,” Connor filled in. He tried to ignore the wave of disappointment that was threatening to spread through him. “It was just the spell making you-”

“Oh, no, I was,” Larry said. “I wasn’t like you, exactly, but... What you saw, that was... From what I can recall, I’d say it was an accurate representation.” 

Connor didn’t know what to say to that. He had questions, but he didn’t know how to ask them. He didn’t think this was the time to ask them. He still didn’t know if he actually wanted to ask them. 

“You know we’d be on your side, don’t you?”

“What?”

“You said you thought we’d pick Evan, that-”

“He saved Zoe’s life.”

“You’re our son. That’s more important. You must know that.” Larry checked his phone as Connor pulled up to a red light. “Jamie says everyone’s gathering at the bank across from the movie theater.”

“Okay,” Connor nodded. He continued to stare straight ahead while his father tapped out a text.

“You don’t have any...” Larry cringed as he changed his mind.

“Any?” Connor frowned. He laughed when he realized what his father was thinking. “I thought you quit.”

“I think a temporary relapse is more than justified after the night I’ve had.”

Connor reached into his jacket pocket and handed his father a pack of cigarettes. “Zoe will kill us if we smoke in her car.”

“Then it’s a good thing I was planning to get it detailed this week.”

Connor fought back a grin as his father’s lighter sparked to life. “Okay... But it’s your funeral.”


	76. Chapter 76

It felt like there was fire in Zoe’s blood. She felt like her insides were bursting with adrenaline or power or... something. 

Something demanding and strong and...

Her face scrunched up as her mother started braiding her hair. “What’re you doing?”

“You should tie it back when you fight,” Cynthia told her. “Wouldn’t that make things easier?”

“I don’t know. I guess?” Zoe said uncertainly. She wanted to shrug her mother off, but she knew that wouldn’t work. She had a feeling she was going to have to make a run for it as soon as Jamie stopped the car.

They pulled over behind the bank. Jamie popped her trunk and Zoe ran around to take stock of their supplies. She handed Evan a stake and a bottle of holy water. She gave her mother a cross and told her to stay with Jamie, no matter what. She claimed the crossbow for herself. She felt like that was all she really needed.

Jamie grabbed her arm as she turned to go. “They think you’re dead.”

Zoe blinked at her aunt. “What?”

“They heard that you died. Will texted me a while ago and-”

“You didn’t tell them I’m okay?”

“I wasn’t sure where they were or who they were with. I figured the fact that you’re alive should be kept under wraps until we know more.”

Zoe gazed up at the roof. She could see a crowd gathered there, facing the street. She spun around when she heard her mother gasp behind her.

There were three vampires heading towards them. Zoe grabbed the stake from Evan and darted forward before they could charge. She jammed the stake into the first one so quickly that she didn’t think he knew what had happened.

Her eyes lit up when they landed on the one by the wall. She punched him in the face and ducked to avoid his fist. “I was hoping I’d see you again.”

She went after him with an intensity that felt strange and right at the same time. Strange because she knew she wasn’t usually this fierce while fighting. She didn’t know if it was because he’d hurt her mother or because of the fire coursing through her veins.

She went with it though. She let it take over until she managed to pin the vampire against the wall and slam the stake into his chest.

She blinked as she looked around for the third one. It took her a second to realize that he was running back down the street, screaming as he rubbed his face. She grinned when she spotted Evan putting the cap back on the holy water.

Zoe pulled the fire escape down and gestured at the roof. “Shall we?”

Zoe let the others go first. She waited until they were safely on the roof before she scurried up the ladder.

She lingered by the edge while she debated what to say. Bennie was the first to notice their arrival. His eyes were red and tired and desperate. He took a step backwards when he saw her. His movements made everyone else look as well.

Zoe could hear them gasping from across the roof. They let out a series of cheers and shouts before Jamie pushed her forward.

“Go on,” Jamie muttered.

Jared reached her first. Zoe couldn’t help grinning when she saw the relief on his face. 

“Not dead?” Jared laughed.

“Not dead,” Zoe confirmed. 

She wasn’t sure what made her do it. She didn’t know if it was the same unknown reason she’d kissed his cheek earlier that night. She didn’t know if it was because of the fire in her veins or the craziness of the night or the fact that he was staring at her with a mixture of relief and amazement and joy.

She kissed him. It wasn’t a pretty kiss. Neither of them had been expecting it, so it definitely could’ve been better. Neater. Less awkward.

She didn’t regret it though. She was starting to think she was done with regrets.

She wondered how long that would last.

“Um,” Jared stammered. His eyes widened as he looked past her. He nodded knowingly. “Right, so, uh, your mom was watching and it would look weird if you didn’t kiss your boyfriend because you-”

Zoe made a face as she looked over her shoulder. “I didn’t think of that.”

Jared barely had time to let out a confused huff before Alana shoved him out of the way.

“You’re alive!” Alana exclaimed. She gave Zoe a quick hug and stepped back so Tracy could do the same.

Zoe laughed as she watched Bennie shove Jamie’s arm.

“You knew she was alive?” Bennie demanded. “You knew and you didn’t tell me?”

“Sucks, doesn’t it?” Jamie smirked.

Bennie narrowed his eyes at her and reached out to pat Zoe’s arm. “I’m glad to see you’re-”

Zoe covered her ears as a loud screeching noise sounded below. She looked around and saw that she wasn’t the only one cringing at the sound. 

She walked over to the edge of the roof and peered down. 

“We’ve been monitoring them since the announcement was made,” Bennie told her. “We weren’t sure if there would be any rioting or any-any celebrations.”

Elder was standing in the middle of the square. Zoe inhaled sharply when she spotted him. He had a bullhorn in his hand and was glaring at the crowd of vampires.

“He’s been trying to organize them since he got here,” Bennie went on. “Amy took her followers and hightailed it out of here the first chance they got. They’ve gone into hiding to try and regroup before going into battle.”

“We’re rooting for Amy, right?” Jared wondered. “I mean, it’s better to deal with the evil we know then-”

“We’re talking about a vampire civil war?” Zoe asked.

“So it would seem,” Bennie nodded.

Zoe lifted her crossbow and took aim. She glanced back at Bennie and asked, “And if I kill Elder?”

“It’ll cause problems for both sides,” Bennie said quickly. “There will be power struggles as Elder’s followers fight for the chance to take his place. They’ll fight it out while they decide if they even want to stay in town. Amy will surely take advantage of that. There’ll be chaos and-”

Zoe squinted as she shot the arrow. It soared through the air and landed perfectly in Elder’s chest. Zoe moved forward to watch. She smirked as he looked up, as he caught a glimpse of her before turning to dust.

Because that was all he was. That was all he deserved to be. Dust. A pile of dust that disappeared without a trace.

The reaction was instantaneous. The vampires closest to Elder jumped back. They looked around wildly before they finally pointed up at the bank. 

Zoe’s heart began to race as she wondered if she’d made a mistake. She wasn’t prepared to go to war just then. She knew there was no way she could protect everyone else.

The vampires seemed to agree about the war part. Zoe could hear muffled shouts below, most of them containing the word ‘Slayer,’ as they ran away as fast as they could.

Zoe released the breath she’d been holding and climbed down from the ledge.

“This isn’t over,” Bennie cautioned.

“It is for now,” Zoe shrugged. She smiled as she looked up at the sky. “Any chance there are any evil Santa demons flying around tonight?”

“Not that I-” Bennie started.

“It’s Christmas!” Alana gasped. “It’s officially Christmas now, isn’t it?”

Tracy glanced at her watch and nodded. “It has been for over an hour now.”

“We should do something,” Alana beamed. “We should-”

“I want to go home and watch Christmas movies,” Zoe announced.

“That,” Alana nodded. “We should do that.”

“This is going to become a thing, isn’t it?” Connor moaned.

Zoe frowned when she realized her brother had joined them. She stepped forward and sniffed him. “You didn’t smoke in my car, did you?”

“We’re going to have to do everything she wants,” Connor continued. “Because she was dead for, like, two minutes.”

Zoe wrinkled her nose at him and led the way back across the roof.

“Okay, so, we’re watching movies tonight,” Jared nodded. He looked around curiously. “What’re we doing for New Year’s?”


	77. Chapter 77

Evan paused in mid-stretch when he saw Jared hurrying over to him. He blinked and glanced around uncertainly. “What’s wrong?”

“Hey,” Jared said frantically. He grabbed Evan’s arm and attempted to lead him away from the others. “We need to talk about Zoe.”

“What?” Evan muttered. He let Jared pull him to the side while everyone else continued to work out the logistics of how they all getting out of there.

“She kissed me,” Jared hissed. 

Evan chuckled awkwardly and stared at his feet. “Yeah... I saw.”

“You don’t still-”

“No,” Evan interrupted. “I mean, not like that.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

“Okay, good,” Jared nodded. “Because I think I like her... I know I like her. And... I don’t know. She kissed me, so it might be mutual.”

“I guess?” 

“So, uh-” The relief on Jared’s face faded when he realized their conversation hadn’t been as private as he’d thought.

“You guys are with us,” Zoe announced. 

She smacked Jared’s arm as he fell into step with her. “You’re talking to Evan about me? You haven’t even talked to me yet.”

“What?” Jared shrugged. “He’s my best friend.”

Evan did a double take at Jared’s words. He never would’ve imagined that he’d hear Jared say that. Not willingly. Not unless he’d been threatened. Severely threatened.

“You want me to kick his seat for you?” Connor offered.

Evan tilted his head to the side. “Uh-”

“I can sit behind him and kick his seat the whole ride,” Connor grinned.

“Nah,” Evan laughed. “That’s okay. Let him be.”

 

There was a small crowd waiting for them when they reached the Murphys’ house. The majority of the group appeared to consist of Alana’s entire family, but Evan quickly spotted his mother standing off to the side with Jared’s parents. 

Heidi rushed to his side and looked him over as soon as he got out of the car. “Are you okay? I was so worried! Why haven’t you been answering your phone?”

Evan frowned as he dug his phone out and checked it. “I, uh-”

“Eileen called and told me what was going on. We talked about this, Evan. You need to let me know what’s happening. You can’t just ask me if I’m wearing my cross and hang up like nothing’s wrong.” 

“I’m sorry,” Evan murmured.

“I kept thinking...” Heidi shook her head as she glanced at the others. Her jaw set as her eyes flickered from the bruise on Connor’s face to the Murphys’ torn clothes to the wound on Zoe’s neck.

“I don’t suppose it occurred to any of you that you need to have a doctor check you out?” Heidi patted the bag she was clutching. “It’s a good thing I came prepared.”

“You should start with Zoe,” Evan told her. “She died tonight.”

“She died?” Heidi repeated. 

Evan nodded solemnly. 

Heidi shook her head at him. Her expression softened as she watched Zoe’s parents lead her up to the house.

Evan hung back while his mother made her way to the front of the group. She announced that she would be setting up shop in the kitchen if anyone needed to be patched up.

There was a flurry of movement as the group formed something that almost resembled a line and streamed into the house. Evan found himself in the back alone. He was about to follow one of Alana’s sisters inside when he spotted Connor sitting on the bench by the door. Connor caught his eye and nodded at the spot next to him.

“We don’t have to pretend anymore.”

“What?” 

“I told my dad,” Connor explained. “I don’t know if he’s going to tell my mom, but-”

“You told him that we’re not...”

“Yeah,” Connor nodded.

“Oh,” Evan breathed. “Okay.”

He felt like he should be happy about that. Happy and relieved and relaxed.

He didn’t feel any of those things. He didn’t know what he felt. He didn’t think he was feeling much of anything, actually.

“I don’t want to pretend anymore,” Connor said.

“Okay,” Evan mumbled.

Connor looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “Because I think it should be real.”

“You mean...” Evan’s face froze as he tried to grasp that concept.

Connor stared at him a moment before rolling his eyes. “Forget it.”

“What?”

“If you have to think about it that much, then-”

“That’s not fair,” Evan sputtered. “You have to give me a chance to-”

“Earlier, by the pond,” Connor started. “It seemed like...”

Evan nodded stiffly as Connor stopped speaking. 

He knew what he meant. He was starting to think that his dizziness hadn’t been CPR-related. In fact, he was almost certain it hadn’t been.

“Okay,” Evan decided.

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Let’s, uh...”

They glanced at each other quickly and looked away.

Evan didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to do. It was obvious that Connor didn’t either. 

That was kind of a relief and kind of terrifying and kind of perfect.

“This is going to be a disaster, isn’t it?” Connor laughed.

“Oh, yeah,” Evan agreed. “Most definitely.”

 

“Hey,” Jared said suddenly. He sat up so quickly that his elbow slammed into Tracy’s shoulder. 

“Watch it,” Alana hissed.

“It’s okay,” Tracy assured her. “We’re kind of packed like sardines down here.”

Evan nodded in agreement. The six of them had ended up on the floor by the TV since every piece of furniture had been claimed by an adult or a child.

Jared’s eyes lit up as he turned to face Zoe. “So, I was thinking, you know how Mrs. Jensen always makes everyone write about what they did during winter break?”

“Yeah,” Zoe nodded.

“You’re totally going to win this year.”

“It isn’t a competition,” Zoe reminded him.

“It is,” Jared insisted. “Not officially, but she always reads her favorite essay to all of her classes. If you write about this-”

“You think she should write about how she died?” Connor scoffed.

“Well, no, not exactly,” Jared frowned. “She probably shouldn’t tell the whole story, but she could write about how she experienced a...” He bit his lip and looked to Evan for support.

“A metaphorical death?” Evan suggested.

“That,” Jared nodded. “She could write about how she felt like she experienced a metaphorical death.”

“Yeah, and then I’ll end up meeting with Ms. Lombard every week until I graduate,” Zoe retorted.

“Maybe,” Jared frowned. “Or maybe not. They didn’t do anything to us after the talent show. We didn’t even get detention.”

“Because of Bennie,” Zoe said. “Because he told Mr. Howard that he gave us permission to stage a protest.”

“Right,” Jared beamed. “We have a man on the inside. I wonder what else we can get away with.” 

“Hey, guys, maybe we should try not to get expelled before we graduate,” Alana spoke up. She caught Tracy’s eye and grinned. “Just thinking out loud...”

“You must have ideas,” Jared told Connor. “There must be something you want to try.”

From across the room, Evan heard Larry turn to Bennie and ask, “This is the team you’ve assembled to help my daughter?”

Bennie stared at the ceiling and sighed. “The earth is doomed...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s a wrap.
> 
> For now, at least. 
> 
> I am planning to either write a sequel to this or go the _Sincerely, E_ route and write a collection of short stories/scenes eventually.
> 
> Eventually could mean starting in a few days or at some point in the future. I’m not sure yet. 
> 
> I feel like it’s probably time for my brain to shift into reading mode for a bit. When it comes to fanfic, I tend to either be in reading mode or writing mode. Meaning that if I’m writing, then I’m not reading. If I’m reading, then I’m not writing.
> 
> It’s also possible that I’ll end up deciding that I need a break from these characters for a while. At this point, I’d say all of those scenarios are equally likely.
> 
> As always, I’d like to say a huge thank you to all readers – past, present, and future. All of your comments and kudos and bookmarks are awesome, amazing, and greatly appreciated!


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